Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Justice

Oral Answers to Questions

William Bain Excerpts
Tuesday 21st May 2013

(10 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Jeremy Wright Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Jeremy Wright)
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My hon. Friend is absolutely right; there is a balance to be struck in this respect. We want more prisoners to be working, but we also want to make sure that jobs outside prisons are not unfairly undercut. That is why, as he knows, we have a code of practice that we have recently strengthened to ensure that that does not happen and that, where we can, we bring work in from abroad to be done in our prisons or use work in prison to support contracts that provide work outside the prison gate.

William Bain Portrait Mr William Bain (Glasgow North East) (Lab)
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T5. Our criminal justice system is strengthened in its ability to deal with international crime through our co-operation in the EU’s justice and home affairs policies. Does the Secretary of State agree that this is another powerful reason why we should remain a full member state of the EU?

Chris Grayling Portrait Chris Grayling
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I believe that we should co-operate fully internationally, not simply in the European Union, but elsewhere, to combat international crime. I do not want this country to become part of a European justice system. That is what divides us.