Prison Officers Association: Protest Action

Bob Blackman Excerpts

Tuesday 15th November 2016 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

We have a specific programme to recruit former armed service personnel who are highly suitable to working in the Prison Service as they bring with them values of discipline and hard work, which are so important in turning the lives of offenders around.

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

Will my right hon. Friend update the House on the plans to ensure that prisoners are rehabilitated so that when they leave prison, they do not reoffend?

[Elizabeth Truss]

We are putting the role of the Secretary of State into primary legislation to ensure that we are not just housing offenders, but turning lives around, getting people the education that they perhaps have not had in the past, getting them into work once they leave prison and getting them off drugs. All those things lead to a reduction in reoffending.

Oral Answers to Questions

Bob Blackman Excerpts

Tuesday 14th June 2016 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Selous]

Yes. I can tell the hon. Gentleman, who I know takes a serious interest in these issues, that there is a lot to be encouraged about. I am going around the country talking to employers, often taking them into prisons. I am particularly keen on the academy model, where employers come into prisons and train prisoners there. The prisoners then go out on day release to gain work experience in that business, and as they leave the prison gate they do so with a contract of employment and can go into work. That helps to secure their accommodation and to get their lives back on an even keel.

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

18. One problem faced by ex-offenders is not having a secure home to go to once they are released from prison, and as a result they cannot get a job. What further steps can my hon. Friend take to ensure that people leaving prison are leaving for a secure home and can then seek proper employment?

[Andrew Selous]

My hon. Friend is right to draw the link between accommodation and employment. If more prisoners were able to pay a deposit of perhaps the first month’s rent on leaving prison, that would help. By the same token, if we can get more offers of employment to prisoners as they come out, they will find it easier to secure accommodation.

Oral Answers to Questions

Bob Blackman Excerpts

Tuesday 8th March 2016 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

1. What recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on steps to remove foreign national offenders from UK prisons to their home countries.

[Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire) (Con)]

4. What recent discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on steps to remove foreign national offenders from UK prisons to their home countries.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Dominic Raab)]

The Justice Secretary and the Home Secretary have regular bilateral meetings in which they discuss progress on removing foreign national offenders from UK prisons and more generally. It remains a top priority for both Departments.

[Bob Blackman]

In London, we welcome people who come here to study, be tourists or add to our economy, but not those who commit crime and are then imprisoned. With 40% of crime in London committed by foreign nationals, what more can my hon. Friend do to ensure that those responsible are deported at the end of their sentences and not allowed back into this country?

[Mr Raab]

The number of foreign national offenders in the prison population went down by 1,240 between June 2010 and December 2015, but my hon. Friend is right and we strive to do better. Further action is being taken. As the Prime Minister announced on 8 February, we have introduced in the Policing and Crime Bill a new clause that requires defendants appearing in court to provide their name, date of birth and nationality. That is an important tool, backed up by a criminal offence for failure to respond that will help us to remove even more FNOs. That is vital for public protection and vital to saving precious taxpayers’ money.

Saudi Penal System

Bob Blackman Excerpts

Tuesday 13th October 2015 Commons Chamber

[Michael Gove]

I understand from my hon. Friend the Minister for the middle east, who has taken a very close personal interest in this case, that he has been and will continue to be in touch with the family, and I know that every resource that we have to help Mr Andree is being deployed.

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

We rightly condemn barbaric regimes with which we have no relationship whatsoever, but Saudi Arabia is clearly a key ally in the middle east. As a friend, we have more influence. Will my right hon. Friend ensure that the House sends the message that the barbaric treatment of British people in Saudi prisons is unacceptable, and that he uses his influence to improve the prison system in Saudi Arabia?

[Michael Gove]

Our diplomats, operating in our embassy in Saudi Arabia, regularly visit any British citizens who may find themselves caught up in conflict or in the Saudi Arabia criminal justice system, and, as well as providing that consular support, we obviously exercise whatever diplomatic influence we can. However, my hon. Friend is right to stress that the broader security co-operation between Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom is friendly, and that it is in the interests of our citizens for it to be maintained so that we can safeguard their security.

Oral Answers to Questions

Bob Blackman Excerpts

Tuesday 17th March 2015 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

1. What steps his Department is taking to protect children who are at risk of grooming.

[Tim Loughton (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Con)]

6. What steps his Department is taking to protect children who are at risk of grooming.

[The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Simon Hughes)]

We have taken action to enable the police to intervene earlier to protect children where there is a suspicion that grooming has taken place. As a result of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015, which amended section 15 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003, we have reduced from two to one the number of initial occasions on which the defendant meets or communicates with a child considered at risk before prosecution can take place. I hope the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman) believes that the Government are absolutely committed to making sure the law is as tough as it needs be to deal with this very serious evil.

[Bob Blackman]

I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. I am not sure if he has had a chance to study the report published today by the Communities and Local Government Committee on child sexual exploitation in Rotherham. What is clear from that report is the catastrophic failure of all public services to protect vulnerable young girls. It is also clear that Rotherham is not an isolated case. What is apparent is that the victims have not been provided with the support they require and they were not believed by the authorities and were not protected when issues came to court. What further action can my right hon. Friend propose that will ensure that the victims are given support and protection through the justice system?

[Simon Hughes]

I am very clear that the point the hon. Gentleman raises is centrally important. I am aware of the report that has come out today, but I have not read it in full. The failing in the past has been that the young people have not been listened to and heard and, when they have spoken out, people have not believed them. Public authorities, the Crown Prosecution Service and the rest of the prosecuting authorities must work on the presumption that when young people say something, it is true and not false, and we should work on that basis.

Immigration Statistics

Bob Blackman Excerpts

Friday 28th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

Large parts of our service sector and public sector would collapse but for migrants coming to this country to work. Does my right hon. Friend agree that people who come here to work and earn a living are welcome, but those who come here to exploit our welfare state and our benefits system are not?

[Mike Penning]

The Prime Minister’s speech this morning was a long one, but my hon. Friend has summarised exactly what the Prime Minister was saying.

Oral Answers to Questions

Bob Blackman Excerpts

Tuesday 11th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mike Penning]

I am adamant that if we feel we need to change the law, we will do so to protect people so that intimate and personal images are never published. If they are, it will become an offence, as it should be.

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

16. What progress he has made on ensuring that members of the public who help others or intervene in emergencies are not prosecuted if something goes wrong.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Shailesh Vara)]

We want to encourage participation in activities which benefit others, but people can be deterred from getting involved by worries about risk and liability. The Social Action, Responsibility and Heroism Bill, currently before Parliament, will require the civil courts to consider whether a person has been acting for the benefit of society or intervening in an emergency if he or she is sued in negligence or for breach of statutory duty.

[Bob Blackman]

Clearly we want to encourage good Samaritans to go to the aid of those in distress. What further measures can my hon. Friend propose to ensure that people who assist those in distress are protected from unnecessary legal action?

[Mr Vara]

I entirely agree with my hon. Friend. The Bill will send a powerful message to the public that if they are acting selflessly in an emergency to help somebody in danger and something goes wrong, the courts will always consider the context of their actions if they are sued in negligence or for breach of statutory duty.

--- Later in debate ---

[Chris Grayling]

The chief inspector of probation has done a detailed piece of work on the Transforming Rehabilitation programme, and that report will be published shortly. He has highlighted a number of areas we are addressing. The report will set out in detail some issues, many of which preceded the current reforms and go back many years, on how to improve performance on probation. As I said to the House recently, I have asked the chief inspector and all inspectors to come to my office immediately and tell me if they identify anything in the reforms that gives cause for concern about public safety. They have not done so.

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

T3. Will my right hon. Friend update the House on the risks and penalties of using a mobile phone while driving?

[Chris Grayling]

The offence of using a mobile phone while driving is very serious and should be dealt with effectively by the courts. It is an area where the Government are giving active consideration to strengthening the penalties, as part of our driving sentences review. It is wholly unacceptable in our society, and the courts should deal with it appropriately.

Oral Answers to Questions

Bob Blackman Excerpts

Tuesday 18th March 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vara]

That is absolutely the case. Some local authorities are trying to help the economy through projects, only for them to be frustrated by unmeritorious claims. The taxpayer loses out because of the extra costs, the efforts of those who wish the projects to make progress or to have employment in them are stifled and, ultimately, the economy does not recover in the way that it ought to. That is what we are trying to achieve, to put right the consequences of the Opposition’s time in government.

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

8. What recent representations he has received on the role played by the London mayoralty in the delivery of justice in London.

[The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Chris Grayling)]

I have had a number of conversations with the London Mayor regarding the provision of services, particularly those for victims, which I regard as extremely important. We have now been able to release an extra £12 million of victim funding for areas most affected by crime and, subject to the proposals that are made, that will potentially include the capital.

[Bob Blackman]

As we devolve more power to the Mayor of London, is it not important to devolve the Prison Service and the probation service so that Londoners can hold the Mayor of London to account for the entirety of keeping London safe?

[Chris Grayling]

We continue to involve the Mayor and the Mayor’s office specialising in justice matters closely in our plans for prisons and probation, but I urge my hon. Friend to be careful about what he wishes for. There are others who are keen to take over MOPAC—the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime—and I have more concerns about their ability to do so. To pick an example purely at random, the right hon. Member for Tooting (Sadiq Khan) was asked recently about his ambitions to be Mayor of London, and he replied that

“if I was at the edge of the box and the ball came my way and I thought I had the best chance of scoring then I might go for it”.

That might explain why he has written a manifesto for London that has no justice policies at all.

Oral Answers to Questions

Bob Blackman Excerpts

Tuesday 4th February 2014 Commons Chamber

[Oliver Colvile (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) (Con)]

10. What progress he has made on reducing the cost to the public purse of legal aid.

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

14. What progress he has made on reducing the cost to the public purse of legal aid.

[The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Chris Grayling)]

I welcome the Minister of State, Ministry of Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Simon Hughes) to my Front-Bench team. I also inform the House that Lord Faulks has joined my team in the House of Lords. I pay tribute to Lord McNally, who has left the Front-Bench team, for the excellent work that he did on behalf of the Government.

I will shortly publish final proposals covering the two areas that are subject to consultation in the “Transforming Legal Aid: Next Steps” document: the procurement of criminal litigation services and reform of the advocacy fee scheme. I anticipate that the total saving from the transforming legal aid proposals will be £220 million per year by 2018-19. That is in addition to the £320 million that has been saved as part of the Government’s previous reforms, which were enacted in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Topical Questions

Bob Blackman Excerpts

Wednesday 20th November 2013 Ministerial Corrections

The following is the answer given by the Minister for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims, the right hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green), to the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman) during Justice Question Time on 12 November 2013.

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

T3. The modern scourge of human trafficking is still with us. What action is my right hon. Friend taking to bring perpetrators to justice and to compensate the victims?

[The Minister for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims (Damian Green)]

My hon. Friend will know that the Home Secretary will shortly be publishing a modern slavery Bill that will deal with many of the issues that he rightly raises. Since July 2011, every trafficking victim has received Government funding, via the Salvation Army. The figures last year were about £3 million, with about 928 victims having received this vital support over the past year.

[Official Report, 12 November 2013, Vol. 570, c. 798.]

Letter of correction from Damian Green:

An error has been identified in the answer given to the hon. Member for Harrow East (Bob Blackman).

The correct answer should have been: