Baroness Evans of Bowes Park debates involving the Home Office during the 2019 Parliament

Independent Office for Police Conduct

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts
Wednesday 2nd February 2022

(2 years, 1 month ago)

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Baroness Williams of Trafford Portrait Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con)
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The budget for 2021-22 is £69.6 million and will remain so for 2022-23. The IOPC employs about 1,000 staff, and nearly 30% of them have a police background—so I think it is pretty well resourced.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Portrait The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) (Con)
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My Lords, it is the turn of the Liberal Democrats and the noble Baroness, Lady Harris of Richmond, wishes to speak virtually. I think this is a convenient point to call her.

Baroness Harris of Richmond Portrait Baroness Harris of Richmond (LD) [V]
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My Lords, the IOPC does not work alone to deal with investigations. We know that investigations can take time, but can the Minister tell me where delays in the system are occurring and what the Government are doing to help alleviate them?

Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts
Why is it not a two-way street any more? How are we to send a signal to Russia, China and other countries about the right to protest, as we try to? The Foreign Office's website has all sorts of condemnations of behaviour that would be allowed—
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Portrait The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) (Con)
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This has been quite a long speech. We do need to get through business tonight. Can noble Lords please respect other Members and think about the length of their contributions?

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb Portrait Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP)
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Perhaps the Government could decide not to bring huge Bills such as this, so that we are forced to sit late at night.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Portrait Baroness Evans of Bowes Park (Con)
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This is the 11th day in Committee on the Bill; I think we have given it due course. I am sorry, but I do not accept the noble Baroness’s views. Perhaps we can all respect each other and move on. Noble Lords have very important points to make, but if we can make them succinctly, that will be very helpful.

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb Portrait Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP)
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Respect goes both ways. The Government are not respecting this House.

Police: Sarah Everard Vigils

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts
Wednesday 17th March 2021

(3 years ago)

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Lord Wasserman Portrait Lord Wasserman (Con) [V]
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My Lords, I congratulate my noble friend the Minister and her ministerial colleagues in the Home Office on giving police and crime commissioners their unequivocal support for the internal review of PCCs, the findings of which were announced earlier this week. I express my hope that the electorate across England and Wales will be encouraged by this review to turn out and vote on 6 May for their local PCC. Given that it now appears that PCCs will be with us for some time, does the Minister agree that PCCs should make it a priority to develop close working relationships with their chief constables so that the operational decisions of their chiefs on matters such as the policing of vigils and other major events are publicly supported by the local PCC on the basis that they had been fully consulted about them beforehand?

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Portrait The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) (Con)
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Before the Minister responds, could I ask noble Lords to please keep their questions brief?

Baroness Williams of Trafford Portrait Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con) [V]
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My Lords, I thank my noble friend for his kind words, and of course PCCs have our full support. It is absolutely crucial that the various agencies communicate with each other when such events are to take place and that PCCs are fully keyed into those events. For the most part, the events held over the weekend went very peacefully.

Stop and Search

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts
Wednesday 3rd March 2021

(3 years ago)

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Lord Woolley of Woodford Portrait Lord Woolley of Woodford (CB) [V]
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My Lords, this is an honest and fair report. I declare my interest as a board member for Police Now, which seeks to recruit graduate police officers, particularly from black, Asian and minority ethnic communities. Our job is made that much worse when we see the levels of stop and search for black youths at nine times higher than for their white peers. When 95% of the nation was in lockdown, stop and search for black youths went up 25%, and they were often humiliated as well as being stopped and searched. It was not for knives, in general; 70% of it was for drugs. Often the smell of marijuana—

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Portrait The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park) (Con)
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Could the noble Lord please ask a question?

Lord Woolley of Woodford Portrait Lord Woolley of Woodford (CB) [V]
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Does the Minister agree with me that this disproportionality, which alienates so many youths and puts off so many of them from joining the police, must change? We must police by consent.

Immigration: Refugee Doctors

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Excerpts
Monday 24th February 2020

(4 years, 1 month ago)

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Baroness Evans of Bowes Park Portrait The Lord Privy Seal (Baroness Evans of Bowes Park)
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My Lords, it is the turn of the Conservative Benches. If we get a short question, we shall hear from the Labour benches too.

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering Portrait Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
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My Lords, I am grateful. Will my noble friend ensure that any doctor who seeks to practise, whether a refugee doctor or otherwise, is registered to practise in their home country and has not, under any circumstances, been struck off and banned from practising there?