Thursday Volume 608 14 April 2016 No. 143 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 14 April 2016 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2016 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 489 14 APRIL 2016 490 “the courts and the CPS were not comfortable with live links House of Commons even though the video technology was available.” What more can be done to spread consistency in its Thursday 14 April 2016 uptake? The Solicitor General: My hon. Friend is quite right The House met at half-past Nine o’clock to highlight that important report. In places such as Kent, best practice is clearly being demonstrated. With regard to national training, which is happening now, we PRAYERS will see more and more use of live links from victims’ homes and other safe places to avoid the terrible ordeal [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] in many cases of victims having to come to court to give evidence in the courtroom. Colleen Fletcher (Coventry North East) (Lab): Providing Oral Answers to Questions effective and compassionate support for victims and survivors of sexual violence is pivotal to ensuring that more of these heinous crimes are reported in the first place, and, ultimately, that more offenders are brought ATTORNEY GENERAL to justice. Will the Minister tell me how the Government intend to improve victim and witness care within the The Attorney General was asked— criminal justice system? Rape and Serious Sexual Offences The Solicitor General: The hon. Lady may already know that revised guidance to prosecutors and Crown 1. Tom Blenkinsop (Middlesbrough South and East Prosecution Service staff about victim and witness care Cleveland) (Lab): What steps the Government have in the courts is already being rolled out. There are also taken to improve the conviction rate for rape and other more staff in the court system to help and support serious sexual offences. [904461] witnesses and victims through the process. More work is being done and will be done to ensure that the The Solicitor General (Robert Buckland): The Crown objectives that she and I share are met. Prosecution Service continues to improve its response to cases involving rape allegations and other forms of Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con): Will the Solicitor serious sexual offending. It has taken a number of steps General join me in welcoming the recent violence against to improve the conviction rate, which includes women and girls statistics, which show that more cases increasing the number of specialist staff within its than ever before are being charged, prosecuted and dedicated rape and serious sexual offences unit and convicted? improved specialist training for prosecutors. The Solicitor General: I certainly welcome those statistics. Tom Blenkinsop: Despite claims that we have the Importantly, they make the point that, when it comes to highest ever number of convictions, conviction rates for people’s lives, more and more individuals are finding rape, domestic abuse and other sexual abuses have that their cases are being heard and that justice is being fallen in the past two years. How does the Minister done on the perpetrators of these appalling offences. intend to rectify that situation? Jim Shannon (Strangford) (DUP): What discussions The Solicitor General: The hon. Gentleman rightly has the Minister had with his counterparts in the Northern points to the fact that the actual number of convictions Ireland Assembly about the possibility of extending continues to increase, which means justice for more and Clare’s law to the Province, particularly in the light of more victims. It is right that the Crown Prosecution the revelation from Women’s Aid that six murders in Service brings cases to juries, and, of course, it is a Northern Ireland had links with domestic abuse? matter for juries to determine whether a suspect is guilty. Increased funding for the rape and serious The Solicitor General: The hon. Gentleman rightly sexual offences units means an improved early raises the important innovation of Clare’s law, which engagement with the police so that the experience of was introduced in the last Government. I was a key victims becomes a better one, and we have tried and supporter of that legislation. I would be happy to have tested evidence that the experience of victims is vital if discussions with colleagues in Northern Ireland. However, we are to make improvements. it is a matter that, quite properly, has been devolved, but if it would help, I will of course hold those discussions. Robert Neill (Bromley and Chislehurst) (Con): Part of improving the evidence of victims is surely through the increased use of live links, which we are already European Arrest Warrant seeing, where victims do not physically have to come to the court building to give their evidence. The report 2. Jonathan Reynolds (Stalybridge and Hyde) (Lab/ published this week by the CPS inspectorate and Her Co-op): What assessment the Government have made Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary recognises that. of the potential effect on the use of the European arrest It says that, in some areas, the scheme is doing very warrant as a prosecutorial tool of the UK leaving the well, but, in others EU. [904462] 491 Oral Answers14 APRIL 2016 Oral Answers 492 5. Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab): Philip Davies (Shipley) (Con): In the Witney Gazette, What assessment the Government have made of the the Prime Minister was quoted as saying about the potential effect on the use of the European arrest warrant European arrest warrant: as a prosecutorial tool of the UK leaving the EU. “Some other countries in Europe do not have our rights and [904465] safeguards. People can languish in jail for weeks without even being charged. I am not sure that the British people realise what is The Attorney General (Jeremy Wright): The European being done in their name. Are we really happy that with one arrest warrant makes it easier to extradite foreign suspects telephone call from the Greek, Spanish or German authorities to where they are wanted for crimes and to bring alleging that we did something wrong on holiday, we can be swept off to a continental prison? Rights and safeguards that we have suspects back to the UK to face justice for crimes enjoyed for centuries are being stripped away.” committed here. It is the quickest and most economical way to do these things, and other member states would Does the Attorney General agree with the Prime Minister? not be bound to co-operate with us in the same way if we left the EU. The Attorney General: I do not know when my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister wrote that. As my hon. Jonathan Reynolds: The first piece of European legislation Friend may recall, the Prime Minister and other members that I sat on in a delegated legislation Committee was a of the Government successfully negotiated changes to regulation that enabled us to track paedophiles more the European arrest warrant precisely to deal with the easily across different European countries. Why anybody problems that my hon. Friend has just outlined. Now, would wish to end that kind of co-operation between UK citizens cannot be extradited unless the case is trial European countries is beyond me. Does the Attorney ready, and not unless the conduct in question would be General agree that the Brexit campaign is soft on crime a crime here and not unless it is proportionate to do so. and soft on the causes of crime? CPS: International Co-operation The Attorney General: I have great respect for those who argue for a British exit from the European Union, but I am afraid that I believe they are wrong on this. For 3. Oliver Colvile (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) the reasons the hon. Gentleman has given, there is (Con): What steps the CPS is taking to work more considerable advantage to Britain and to British citizens efficiently with international partners to reduce the in being part of the European arrest warrant. threat of serious crime in the UK and abroad. [904463] Diana Johnson: Just to be clear, does the Attorney The Solicitor General (Robert Buckland): CPS prosecutors General think that if we were no longer part of the work closely with law enforcement agencies to give European arrest warrant, criminals from the continent investigative advice and to prosecute serious crime. would see Britain as a safe haven because of the extradition They draw upon international co-operation agreements arrangements and the concern that they would not be wherever necessary to secure evidence and to agree how taken back quickly? and where cases that cover various jurisdictions should be pursued. The Attorney General: There is no doubt that the quickest and easiest way of deporting criminals who Oliver Colvile: I thank my hon. and learned Friend face prosecutions in other European nations is, as I for that answer, but what are the Government doing to said, to use the European arrest warrant. Of course, ensure that IRA terrorists are being brought back to the those who argue for exit from the European Union UK to face justice here? would have to explain what alternative measures they would put in place to achieve the same objective. I am in The Solicitor General: I assure my hon. Friend that no doubt that, as I say, the quickest and easiest way to cases involving IRA suspects will be considered in just do that is through the European arrest warrant, and any the same way as any other case. The special crime and delay in that process will have very serious consequences.