DOCSLIB.ORG

Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) Wednesday Volume 593 4 March 2015 No. 118 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Wednesday 4 March 2015 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2015 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 927 4 MARCH 2015 928 years between 2008 and 2012, but many of those jobs House of Commons are zero hours, part time and for agency workers. I have written to the Secretary of State about the prospect of Wednesday 4 March 2015 between 200 and 300 jobs being lost at 2 Sisters. Will he meet me and a delegation from the company, because it is important to the Welsh and UK food industries? The House met at half-past Eleven o’clock Stephen Crabb: I absolutely will meet the hon. PRAYERS Gentleman, who knows that I take a great interest in job prospects in Ynys Môn, and we will look into the situation in more detail. I caution him against peddling [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] a gross caricature of the Welsh economy, because less than 3% of Welsh workers are on contracts that could be described as zero hours. Opposition Members are quite wrong to peddle this gross caricature of what is a Oral Answers to Questions business-led recovery that is bearing fruit. Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con): The Secretary of WALES State will be aware that the Welsh Government have nationalised Cardiff airport. What discussions has he had with the Welsh Government to ensure that they do The Secretary of State was asked— all they can to keep employment rates high? Labour Market Trends Stephen Crabb: My hon. Friend makes an important 1. Guto Bebb (Aberconwy) (Con): What assessment point. He knows that I meet Welsh Government Ministers he has made of trends in labour market statistics in frequently to discuss how we can secure the economic Wales since 2010. [907768] recovery for Wales, because it is a shared enterprise across the two Administrations: they know the efforts The Secretary of State for Wales (Stephen Crabb): I that we have made to create a strong foundation for a would like to take this opportunity, in the last Welsh business-led recovery in Wales, and we need them to Question Time before the general election, to pay tribute play their part in helping to bring unemployment down to the Welsh Members who have announced their intention across Wales. to stand down. All eight right hon. and hon. Members have served their constituencies with distinction and Owen Smith (Pontypridd) (Lab): May I begin by played a vital role in making the case for Wales, as I wishing you a belated happy St David’s day, Mr Speaker, know they will continue to do outside this House. We and all Members of the House and by adding my wish them all the very best. thanks to all the Welsh Members of all parties who are Across the UK there have never been more people in retiring, but particularly my right hon. Friends the work. In Wales there are 41,000 more people in work Members for Torfaen (Paul Murphy) and for Neath since the election, but we recognise that the job is not (Mr Hain), both distinguished former Secretaries of yet done, which is why we must stick to our long-term State who have served Wales extremely well? economic plan, which is starting to bear fruit for Wales. We have heard an impressive array of statistics from the Secretary of State this morning, but will he set aside Guto Bebb: May I associate myself with my right the spin for one moment and tell us what has really hon. Friend’s comments on the departing Members? happened to the jobs market in Wales on his watch? In my constituency unemployment has fallen by 27% How many of those new Tory jobs in Wales are on year on year, and it has fallen by over 40% since the zero-hours contracts and pay a pittance in wages? height of the recession, a situation that is replicated across Wales. Will my right hon. Friend join me in Stephen Crabb: Let us remind ourselves of what we congratulating the small businesses the length and breadth inherited in 2010. Under the previous Labour Government, of Wales that have contributed to the jobs-based recovery, unemployment across Wales had increased by 80%, and will he assure me that the policies put in place by youth unemployment had increased by 75% and, worst this Government will continue if he remains in post of all, long-term unemployment had increased by more after 7 May? than 150%. That is a scandalous record on jobs in Wales. I am proud to be part of a coalition Government Stephen Crabb: I absolutely agree that it is businesses who have created the right foundations for a business-led across Wales, and particularly in north Wales, that are recovery to turn that around. leading the economic recovery, creating the jobs that are making such a difference to the lives of families up and Owen Smith: I think workers in Wales are heartily down Wales. What puts that at greatest risk is the sick of this Tory propaganda. The truth is that of the prospect of a Labour Government with no vision or 100,000 new jobs in Wales, as the Office for National plan for the Welsh economy. Statistics said last week, 90,000 are zero-hours contracts paying, on average, £300 less per week than full-time Albert Owen (Ynys Môn) (Lab): The unemployment jobs. As the Institute for Fiscal Studies said this morning, figures in my constituency have been coming down for the average family incomes of workers in Wales have the past 15 years, with the exception of the recession declined under this Government. Why does the Secretary 929 Oral Answers4 MARCH 2015 Oral Answers 930 of State not say the one thing he can to workers from Alun Cairns: I am happy to point to the survey by the Pwllheli to Pembrokeshire that would give them hope: British Chambers of Commerce that showed that 77% vote Labour? of businesses support a referendum on EU membership, and said: Stephen Crabb: If the hon. Gentleman thinks that is “British businesses remain determined to see a recalibrated any kind of boon for the Welsh economy, I point him to relationship between the UK and the rest of the European Union, the opinion poll conducted by BBC Wales which this with more powers exercised from Westminster rather than Brussels.” morning shows that a majority of voters across Wales, I hope that the hon. Lady supports that comment from even in the Labour heartlands—from Rhondda to Cynon the British Chambers of Commerce. Valley, from Caerphilly to Pontypridd—prefer my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to remain as leader Mr David Nuttall (Bury North) (Con): Does the rather than the Leader of the Opposition. Minister agree that businesses do not always speak with one voice on this issue? While big businesses are often EU Membership the most able to cope with the bureaucracy sent to us from Brussels and might want to stay within the European 2. Mark Tami (Alyn and Deeside) (Lab): What recent Union, very often small businesses do not? discussions he has had with business representatives in Wales on the importance of membership of the EU to Alun Cairns: My hon. Friend makes an extremely the Welsh economy. [907769] important point. Many of the people who are scaremongering now are the same people who wanted The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Wales to join the euro all those years ago. It is this party that (Alun Cairns): Membership of the European Union’s stands up for the British economy and stands up for single market is good for businesses in Wales. However, businesses, exactly as the British Chambers of Commerce, businesses tell me that the burdens and costs imposed the CBI and Airbus say in the quotes I have given. by the European Union are making it harder for them to grow. This Government are determined to renegotiate 13. [907780] Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd) (Lab): In our membership with the European Union to get a 1998, I was successful in persuading my right hon. better deal for Wales and for UK businesses, and to put Friend the Member for Neath (Mr Hain) to accept that to the people. Denbighshire and Conwy into the bid for objective 1 European funding. In that time, Denbighshire has had Mark Tami: How many tens of thousands of jobs in a quarter of a billion pounds of private sector and Wales does the Minister think would be at risk if the public sector funding from Europe. If Britain pulls out UK left the EU? of the EU, my constituency and my county will lose £100 million over the next seven years. What does the Minister feel about that? Alun Cairns: A renegotiated European Union provides greater opportunities for businesses in Wales. I know that the hon. Gentleman shows great interest in Airbus, Alun Cairns: May I remind the hon. Gentleman that which says: European structural funds are aimed at the poorest parts of Europe? It is no mark of celebration to say that “Regardless of which decision the UK will make, we are strongly committed to our operations in the UK”. his constituency succeeded in winning that money. This Government have a long-term economic plan to turn The British Chambers of Commerce also supports that the economy around for the longer term rather than position.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Ethnic Diversity in Politics and Public Life
    BRIEFING PAPER CBP 01156, 22 October 2020 By Elise Uberoi and Ethnic diversity in politics Rebecca Lees and public life Contents: 1. Ethnicity in the United Kingdom 2. Parliament 3. The Government and Cabinet 4. Other elected bodies in the UK 5. Public sector organisations www.parliament.uk/commons-library | intranet.parliament.uk/commons-library | papers@parliament.uk | @commonslibrary 2 Ethnic diversity in politics and public life Contents Summary 3 1. Ethnicity in the United Kingdom 6 1.1 Categorising ethnicity 6 1.2 The population of the United Kingdom 7 2. Parliament 8 2.1 The House of Commons 8 Since the 1980s 9 Ethnic minority women in the House of Commons 13 2.2 The House of Lords 14 2.3 International comparisons 16 3. The Government and Cabinet 17 4. Other elected bodies in the UK 19 4.1 Devolved legislatures 19 4.2 Local government and the Greater London Authority 19 5. Public sector organisations 21 5.1 Armed forces 21 5.2 Civil Service 23 5.3 National Health Service 24 5.4 Police 26 5.4 Justice 27 5.5 Prison officers 28 5.6 Teachers 29 5.7 Fire and Rescue Service 30 5.8 Social workers 31 5.9 Ministerial and public appointments 33 Annex 1: Standard ethnic classifications used in the UK 34 Cover page image copyright UK Youth Parliament 2015 by UK Parliament. Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0 / image cropped 3 Commons Library Briefing, 22 October 2020 Summary This report focuses on the proportion of people from ethnic minority backgrounds in a range of public positions across the UK.
    [Show full text]
  • Representation of Ethnic Diversity in the Parliamentary Art Collection
    Representation of ethnic diversity in the Parliamentary Art Collection This document outlines existing resources from or related to the Parliamentary Art Collection about the history and representation of Black, Asian or other ethnic minority people at Parliament. The Parliamentary Art Collection is committed to improving the representation of minority groups. This document will be kept updated to reflect any new projects, works of art, or research. Displays • A permanent display looking at the history of Black, Asian or other ethnic minority MPs through works in the Parliamentary Art Collection is on display in the entrance corridor to the House of Commons public gallery. • A selection of portraits currently on display on the first floor of Portcullis House as part of the Contemporary Portrait Collection include: o Portrait of Bernie Grant MP by Kelvin Okafor, WOA 7607 o Portrait of Diane Abbott MP by Stuart Pearson Wright, WOA 6270 o Portrait of Paul Boateng MP by Jonathan Yeo, WOA 6483 To find out more about arranging a visit to parliament, please check our Visit Parliament web pages. 17/09/2020, v1.0 1 Films The UK Parliament YouTube channel features a playlist about Art in Parliament. These selected films are focussed on recent works of art depicting people from Black, Asian or other ethnic minority backgrounds. • 50th anniversary of the elevation Learie Constantine, as first black peer, to the House of Lords • Portrait of Diane Abbott MP • Portrait of Baroness Amos Online exhibitions, articles and resources about Art in Parliament and Black, Asian or other ethnic minority history • An article in The Guardian from Curator and Head of Heritage Collections Melissa Hamnett: We must confront racist history of UK Parliament's art.
    [Show full text]
  • United Kingdom, July 2002
    Description of document: US Department of State Self Study Guide for United Kingdom, July 2002 Requested date: 11-March-2007 Released date: 25-Mar-2010 Posted date: 19-April-2010 Source of document: Freedom of Information Act Office of Information Programs and Services A/GIS/IPS/RL U. S. Department of State Washington, D. C. 20522-8100 Fax: 202-261-8579 Note: This is one of a series of self-study guides for a country or area, prepared for the use of USAID staff assigned to temporary duty in those countries. The guides are designed to allow individuals to familiarize themselves with the country or area in which they will be posted. The governmentattic.org web site (“the site”) is noncommercial and free to the public. The site and materials made available on the site, such as this file, are for reference only. The governmentattic.org web site and its principals have made every effort to make this information as complete and as accurate as possible, however, there may be mistakes and omissions, both typographical and in content. The governmentattic.org web site and its principals shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information provided on the governmentattic.org web site or in this file. The public records published on the site were obtained from government agencies using proper legal channels. Each document is identified as to the source. Any concerns about the contents of the site should be directed to the agency originating the document in question.
    [Show full text]
  • Levitt and Solesbury Tsars Dec 2012
    King’s Research Portal Document Version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication record in King's Research Portal Citation for published version (APA): Levitt, R., & Solesbury, W. (2012). Policy Tsars: here to stay but more transparency needed. King's College London. Citing this paper Please note that where the full-text provided on King's Research Portal is the Author Accepted Manuscript or Post-Print version this may differ from the final Published version. If citing, it is advised that you check and use the publisher's definitive version for pagination, volume/issue, and date of publication details. And where the final published version is provided on the Research Portal, if citing you are again advised to check the publisher's website for any subsequent corrections. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the Research Portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognize and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. •Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the Research Portal for the purpose of private study or research. •You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain •You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the Research Portal Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact librarypure@kcl.ac.uk providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
    [Show full text]
  • The Shaping of Black London
    The Black London eMonograph series The Shaping of Black London By Thomas L Blair, editor and publisher The Black London eMonograph series is the first-ever continuous study of African and Caribbean peoples in the nation’s capital. Having published five eBooks, Prof Thomas L Blair is now at work delivering his research writings on Black people in London. He says: “Titles range from The Shaping of Black London to the first Black settlers in the 18th century to today’s denizens of the metropolis”. Also available Decades of research on race, city planning and policy provide a solid background for understanding issues in the public realm. Available from http://www.thomblair.org Thomas L Blair Collected Works/MONO (or search), they include: 1968 The Tiers Monde in the City: A study of the effects of Housing and Environment on Immigrant Workers and their Families in Stockwell, London, Department of Tropical Studies, the Architectural Association, School of Architecture, Bedford Square, London. 1972. http://www.thomblair.org.uk/The City Poverty Committee. To Make A Common Future. Notting Hill, London. Circa 1972 1978 PCL – Habitat Forum, Condition of England question. Papers and Proceedings. Edited by Dr Thomas L Blair, Professor of Social and Environmental Planning, Polytechnic of Central London, 1st volume in series 1978 1989. Information Base Report on Ethnic Minorities in London Docklands. Full Employ/LDDC Project. 1996. Area-based projects in districts of high immigrant concentration. By Thomas L Blair and Edward D Hulsbergen, Consultants. Community Relations, Directorate of Social and Economic Affairs, Council of Europe 1996. ISBN 92-871-3179-1.
    [Show full text]
  • Black British History Timeline
    A (partial) Timeline of BLACK BRITISH HISTORY in honour of Black History Month October 2019 c. 125 AD Beachy Head Lady The first Black Briton known to us was a woman of sub-Saharan African descent. 2 c. 210 AD He was An African legionary “famous (Roman soldier) went down in history for among making fun of the buffoons Emperor Septimius and always Severus outside Carlisle a great joker” 3 c. 350 AD Ivory Bangle Lady A high-status, mixed-race woman lived in Roman York. Discovered with her burial were jet and elephant ivory bracelets, earrings, pendants, beads, a blue glass jug and a glass mirror. 4 c. 1507 Black Tudors John Blanke, one of the court trumpeters, was present in the entourage of Henry VII from at least 1507. He performed at both Henry VII’s funeral and Henry VIII’s coronation in 1509. 5 1560s The beginnings of the British transatlantic slave trade. 6 1729-1780 Ignatius Sancho The first African prose writer published in England, Sancho became a financially independent male householder and the first known black British voter. 7 1760s Black Londoners account for 10,000- 15,000 of the nation’s 20,000 black people. 8 1805-1881 Mary Seacole A nurse who independently set up the British Hotel to care for the wounded during the Crimean War. Became a much-loved figure. 9 1807 The Slave Trade Act 1807 was passed, prohibiting the slave trade in the British Empire 10 1833 The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 abolished slavery throughout the British Empire. This Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom expanded the jurisdiction of the Slave Trade Act 1807 which made the purchase or ownership of slaves illegal within the British Empire.
    [Show full text]
  • NEC Annual Report 2019
    Labour Party | Annual Report 2019 LABOUR PARTY ANNUAL REPORT 2019 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION Treasurers’ Responsibilities . 54 Foreword from Jeremy Corbyn . 5 Independent Auditor’s Report Introduction from Tom Watson . 7 to the members of the Labour Party . 55 Introduction from the General Secretary . 9 Consolidated income and expenditure account 2018/2019 National Executive Committee . 10 for the year ended 31 December 2018 . 57 NEC Committees . 12 Statements of comprehensive income Obituaries . 13 and changes in equity for the year ended NEC aims and objectives for 2019 . 14 31 December 2018 . 58 Consolidated balance sheet BY-ELECTIONS . 15 at 31 December 2018 . 59 Peterborough . 16 Consolidated cash flow statement for the year Newport West . 17 ended 31 December 2018 . 60 ELECTIONS 2019 . 19 Notes to Financial Statements . 61 Analysis . 20 APPENDICES . 75 Local Government Report . 23 Members of Shadow Cabinet LOOKING AHEAD: 2020 ELECTIONS . 25 and Opposition Frontbench . 76 The year ahead in Scotland . 26 Parliamentary Labour Party . 80 The year ahead in Wales . 27 Members of the Scottish Parliament. 87 NEC PRIORITIES FOR 2019 . 29 Members of the Welsh Assembly . 88 Members and Supporters Members of the European Parliament . 89 Renewing our party and building an active Directly Elected Mayors . 90 membership and supporters network . 30 Members of the London Assembly . 91 Equalities . 31 Leaders of Labour Groups . 92 Labour Peers . 100 NEC PRIORITIES FOR 2019 . 35 Labour Police and Crime Commissioners . 103 National Policy Forum Parliamentary Candidates endorsed NPF Report . 36 by the NEC at time of publication . 104 NEC PRIORITIES FOR 2019 . 39 NEC Disputes . 107 International NCC Cases .
    [Show full text]
  • Appendix: “Ideology, Grandstanding, and Strategic Party Disloyalty in the British Parliament”
    Appendix: \Ideology, Grandstanding, and Strategic Party Disloyalty in the British Parliament" August 8, 2017 Appendix Table of Contents • Appendix A: Wordscores Estimation of Ideology • Appendix B: MP Membership in Ideological Groups • Appendix C: Rebellion on Different Types of Divisions • Appendix D: Models of Rebellion on Government Sponsored Bills Only • Appendix E: Differences in Labour Party Rebellion Following Leadership Change • Appendix F: List of Party Switchers • Appendix G: Discussion of Empirical Model Appendix A: Wordscores Estimation of Ideology This Appendix describes our method for ideologically scaling British MPs using their speeches on the welfare state, which were originally produced for a separate study on welfare reform (O'Grady, 2017). We cover (i) data collection, (ii) estimation, (iii) raw results, and (iv) validity checks. The resulting scales turn out to be highly valid, and provide an excellent guide to MPs' ideologies using data that is completely separate to the voting data that forms the bulk of the evidence in our paper. A1: Collection of Speech Data Speeches come from an original collection of every speech made about issues related to welfare in the House of Commons from 1987-2007, covering the period over which the Labour party moved 1 to the center under Tony Blair, adopted and enacted policies of welfare reform, and won office at the expense of the Conservatives. Restricting the speeches to a single issue area is useful for estimating ideologies because with multiple topics there is a danger of conflating genuine extremism (a tendency to speak in extreme ways) with a tendency or requirement to talk a lot about topics that are relatively extreme to begin with (Lauderdale and Herzog, 2016).
    [Show full text]
  • Lord Paul Boateng and Dr. Hannah Kettler Will Bring Extensive Experience in Global Health, Health Economics and Humanitarian Issues –
    Gilead Sciences Appoints Two New Members to Health Policy Advisory Board June 6, 2012 8:31 AM ET – Lord Paul Boateng and Dr. Hannah Kettler Will Bring Extensive Experience in Global Health, Health Economics and Humanitarian Issues – FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun. 6, 2012-- Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD) announced today the appointments of Lord Paul Boateng, LLB, member of the United Kingdom House of Lords, and Hannah Kettler, PhD, senior health program officer and economist at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to the Gilead Health Policy Advisory Board. The advisory board - comprised of leading experts in their fields - provides external perspective and advice, helping the company shape programs and policies to deliver medications to patients affected by HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis and other life-threatening diseases around the world. “I am thrilled that Lord Boateng and Dr. Kettler have joined the Gilead Health Policy Advisory Board,” said Sir Richard Feachem, KBE, FREng, DSc (Med), PhD, chairperson of the advisory board and professor of global health at the University of California, San Francisco, and the University of California, Berkeley. “Their important and unique expertise will contribute greatly to Gilead’s work to address barriers to patient care and ensure that innovative medicines are accessible to all people who need them.” Lord Boateng was appointed to the U.K. House of Lords in 2010 after serving for four years as the British high commissioner to South Africa. First elected to Parliament in 1987, Lord Boateng held various ministerial posts, including Junior Minister for Health in 1997, before being appointed to the Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2002, both under former Prime Minister Tony Blair.
    [Show full text]
  • Text Cut Off in the Original 232 6
    IMAGING SERVICES NORTH Boston Spa, Wetherby West Yorkshire, LS23 7BQ www.bl.uk TEXT CUT OFF IN THE ORIGINAL 232 6 ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE Between 1983 and 1989 there were a series of important changes to Party organisation. Some of these were deliberately pursued, some were more unexpected. All were critical causes, effects and aspects of the transformation. Changes occurred in PLP whipping, Party finance, membership administration, disciplinary procedures, candidate selection, the policy-making process and, most famously, campaign organisation. This chapter makes a number of assertions about this process of organisational change which are original and are inspired by and enhance the search for complexity. It is argued that the organisational aspect of the transformation of the 1980s resulted from multiple causes and the inter-retroaction of those causes rather than from one over-riding cause. In particular, the existing literature has identified organisational reform as originating with a conscious pursuit by the core leadership of greater control over the Party (Heffernan ~\ . !.. ~ and Marqusee 1992: passim~ Shaw 1994: 108). This chapter asserts that while such conscious .... ~.. ,', .. :~. pursuit was one cause, other factors such as ad hoc responses to events .. ,t~~" ~owth of a presidential approach, the use of powers already in existence and the decline of oppositional forces acted as other causes. This emphasis upon multiple causes of change is clearly in keeping with the search for complexity. 233 This chapter also represents the first detailed outline and analysis of centralisation as it related not just to organisational matters but also to the issue of policy-making. In the same vein the chapter is particularly significant because it relates the centralisation of policy-making to policy reform as it occurred between 1983 and 1987 not just in relation to the Policy Review as is the approach of previous analyses.
    [Show full text]
  • Be More Empowered Portraits
    University of Bristol: past and present portraits The Wills Memorial Building 24 Be More Empowered portraits Portraits in the The Reception Room In 2019, we launched the Be More Empowered for Success programme to support our Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students to thrive at Bristol and beyond. To celebrate the first anniversary of this programme, we honour our staff and students of colour who have changed our institution, our city and the world. These portraits commemorate staff, students and alumni who have led the way in education, the arts, economics, politics, activism and social change. From Lord Boateng, one of the first three Black British MPs, to Hannah Dualeh, whose work as a sabbatical officer led to the creation of the Be More Empowered programme itself, each of the portraits represents a member of the University who has brought about significant change in Bristol and across the world. They are accompanied by current and recent staff, students and alumni whose research, learning or work connects them to these figures, and who are themselves change makers, leaders and influencers. At a time when we are reflecting on our institutional history, making a clear commitment to address racism at every level, and striving to ensure that our staff and students of colour have every opportunity to succeed, we are proud to see these influential members of our community take their rightful place on the walls of the Reception Room. 25 Okot p’Bitek 26 1931-1982 Renowned 20th-century poet with Antonette Clarke-Akalanne, Archaeology and Anthropology (BA, 2018) and Masters student “Okot p’Bitek was born in Gulu, Nothern “P’Bitek took a Diploma in Education at Uganda, which at the time was a protectorate Bristol, and later he studied law at the of the British Empire.
    [Show full text]
  • Commission on a Bill of Rights: a Second Consultation
    Commission on a Bill of Rights: A Second Consultation Response by Professor Francesca Klug and Amy Ruth Williams, London School of Economics September 2012 This response makes the following principal observations: - It is reasonable to argue that the Human Rights Act already constitutes a UK Bill of Rights which, contrary to popular perception, preserves parliament’s sovereign law-making capacity and does not oblige UK judges to follow decisions of the European Court on Human Rights. - If the link with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is entirely broken in any new UK Bill of Rights, not only could this effectively ‘de-incorporate’ the Convention, but it would almost certainly result in more cases being decided by the European court in Strasbourg, thereby thwarting efforts being made at the international level to reduce the court’s backlog and reducing the influence of UK judges on ECHR jurisprudence. - In order to comply with the terms of reference of the Commission and the Brighton Declaration, any new UK Bill of Rights must offer protection of the Convention rights to all within the jurisdiction and therefore cannot exclude ‘unpopular groups’ or those whose behaviour has made them seem less ‘deserving’ of rights (notwithstanding the qualifications built into most of the Convention rights). - Arguments about decisions being made in parliament and not the courts, or issuing further guidance to the courts about how to adjudicate rights conflicts, overlook the fundamental overarching ‘higher law’ nature of Bills of Rights. These may be legitimate arguments for having no Bill of Rights, but it is misleading to suggest they offer support to the case for a new UK Bill of Rights, which would inevitably involve the courts in interpreting broad principles.
    [Show full text]