Oral Answers to Questions

Imran Hussain Excerpts

Thursday 29th June 2017 Commons Chamber

[Kate Green (Stretford and Urmston) (Lab)]

6. What assessment he has made of the effect of the aggravated offences regime on the level of successful prosecutions for hate crime.

[Imran Hussain (Bradford East) (Lab)]

7. What assessment he has made of the effect of the aggravated offences regime on the level of successful prosecutions for hate crime.

[Melanie Onn (Great Grimsby) (Lab)]

9. What assessment he has made of the effect of the aggravated offences regime on the level of successful prosecutions for hate crime.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Solicitor General]

The hon. Lady knows that I have had a long-standing interest in disability hate crime. The Government are particularly interested in the strand of work conducted by the previous Home Affairs Committee. We are looking to its successor Committee to carry on that work. We want this House to play its part in the response to the Law Commission recommendations, and we very much hope that, as soon as possible, we can craft a suitable response to get the law right.

[Imran Hussain]

As has been stated, the Law Commission has previously called on the Government to review hate crime legislation. Will the Government bring forward proposals for the review to ensure that the legislation is effective and sufficiently broad in scope?

[The Solicitor General]

The hon. Gentleman is right to press the Government on those issues. My concerns are twofold: first, we need to get the existing law properly used and enforced by way of training and the actual use of it by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service; and, secondly, we need to get the response to the Law Commission recommendations right. I want to ensure that this House passes laws that are properly enforced. Too often in the past, we have been too quick to pass laws that have then failed the expectations of those who deserve protection. He is right that we will be looking at that as soon as possible.