Monday Volume 560 25 March 2013 No. 136 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 25 March 2013 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2013 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1269 25 MARCH 2013 1270 Mr Peter Bone (Wellingborough) (Con): The Prime House of Commons Minister has made ending modern-day slavery one of his top priorities. Does the Home Secretary welcome, as I do, the fact that he will open the hidden slavery in UK Monday 25 March 2013 constituencies exhibition in the House of Commons on 22 April? The House met at half-past Two o’clock Mrs May: I am pleased at the excellent news that the Prime Minister will open the exhibition, and I congratulate PRAYERS my hon. Friend on his work in chairing the all-party group on human trafficking and on bringing forward that exhibition. I am sure that it will remind us not just [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] of the hidden trafficking that exists in UK constituencies as a result of cross-border trafficking but also— unfortunately—of the fact that trafficking takes place within the United Kingdom. Oral Answers to Questions Neighbourhood Policing 2. Simon Hart (Carmarthen Westand South Pembrokeshire) HOME DEPARTMENT (Con): What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of neighbourhood policing. [149408] The Secretary of State was asked— The Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice (Damian Green): We know that the public want a visible police Human Trafficking presence, working with them to identify and tackle issues in their communities. Year on year the crime 1. Fiona Bruce (Congleton) (Con): If she will bring survey for England and Wales shows that that approach forward legislative proposals to introduce a modern to policing is valued by the public, helping to build slavery act. [149407] public confidence and bring crime down by 10%. The Secretary of State for the Home Department Simon Hart: For neighbourhood management to be (Mrs Theresa May): The Government have a strong really effective it requires the active involvement of record on tackling the appalling crime of human trafficking. other Departments such as those for health and housing. We have a clear strategy, robust legislation, good-quality That works quite well in Dyfed-Powys, but is the Minister support for victims, and strong enforcement against happy that it is working well everywhere else? offenders, both in country and at the border. We are also working closely with our international partners to Damian Green: I agree with my hon. Friend that, for tackle the problem at source. Today is the 206th anniversary neighbourhood policing to be completely effective, it of the Act for the abolition of the slave trade, as well as requires not just the police to work with others, but also the international day of remembrance for the victims of with other Departments. My right hon. Friend the slavery, and it is entirely right that my hon. Friend Home Secretary has written to chief constables and reminds us of the issue today. We must continue our police and crime commissioners to emphasise that it is efforts to eradicate human trafficking, which can indeed important, particularly in the field of mental health, for be seen as a form of modern-day slavery. the police and the health service to work better together than they have in the past and to improve their response Fiona Bruce: I thank the Home Secretary for that to that particularly vulnerable group of people. There is reply. She has stated that fighting human trafficking is a always more that we can do on that. Government priority, but with the number of victims found increasing month on month, what consideration Mr David Lammy (Tottenham) (Lab): A few weeks has been given to a new initiative such as an independent ago the Mayor of London said that he would not close commissioner? front-office counters in police stations unless he could replace them with a superior— or equivalent—service. Mrs May: I thank my hon. Friend for raising that Today he closed 63. Does the Home Secretary agree issue, which has also been raised by others. The Government with the assessment of the Daily Mail, which a few are not convinced of the need to introduce an independent weeks ago described the Mayor as “faintly ridiculous” commissioner and we have, we believe, a very effective and changing his mind “every five minutes”? inter-departmental ministerial group, chaired by my hon. Friend the Minister for Immigration. Crucially, Damian Green: I understand that as part of the that group includes not just representatives from changes to the overall policing and crime power, which, Departments across Whitehall, but also from the devolved as I am sure the right hon. Gentleman knows, is the Administrations, and we believe that that is working responsibility of the Mayor’s Office for Policing and well. It is necessary, however, to consider continually Crime, 2,600 officers will be redeployed from back our effectiveness in this area, and we will keep the work offices into neighbourhood policing. There should therefore of the inter-departmental ministerial group under review be more police on the streets of London than before, to ensure that it is carrying out the effective work that and I hope the right hon. Gentleman will join me in we want it to do. welcoming that. 1271 Oral Answers25 MARCH 2013 Oral Answers 1272 Mike Freer (Finchley and Golders Green) (Con): The Mr Harper: I have two things to say to my hon. Mayor of London’s redeployment of counter staff will Friend. First, the sponsorship system provides a good lead to 74 additional bobbies on the beat in a borough mechanism for employers to track and record who is such as Barnet. Does the Minister welcome that working for them when they come to fill skills shortages. redeployment of officers on to the streets? Secondly, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions will, with the roll-out of universal Damian Green: I do welcome that redeployment, and credit, collect as a routine matter the nationality of my hon. Friend is right to draw attention to it in his those who claim benefits. borough and other London boroughs. Getting effective neighbourhood and community policing is about officers Pete Wishart (Perth and North Perthshire) (SNP): rather than buildings. On the issue of foreign nationals and all others, is the Government’s response simply determined by the rise Mr Gareth Thomas (Harrow West) (Lab/Co-op): Does and threat of the United Kingdom Independence party? the Minister believe that someone who is set to leave London with fewer police constables and fewer police Mr Harper: No, not at all—the speech that my right community support officers in 2015 compared with hon. Friend the Prime Minister made earlier today was 2010 is a suitable candidate for future Prime Minister? informed by work that has been going on for a number of months in the cross-ministerial committee that I Damian Green: As this is Home Office questions, I chair. It is a well thought-through policy area as we will stick to the Home Office’s responsibilities, which further tighten the immigration system. The hon. include keeping our streets safe, which we are doing Gentleman will know that, since the Government came more effectively than ever before. Crime is down 10%, to power, we have reduced net migration to the UK by a and it is down in the Metropolitan police area. I am third and will continue to reduce it. sure the action the Mayor has taken today will make London’s streets even safer in future. David T. C. Davies (Monmouth) (Con): Does the Minister agree that the vast majority of people in this country will support his work and the emphasis in the Mr David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab): As my right hon. Prime Minister’s speech? Nevertheless, there is still a net and hon. Friends have said, Boris Johnson, aided by increase in immigration of 160,000 every year. Will the Home Office cuts, is to close 50% of London’s police Minister assure us that he will continue to do all he can stations, to lose 4,000 police constables and PCSOs, and to reduce that number further? to reduce police numbers in 17 of the 32 London boroughs. Will the Minister confirm that yesterday’s Mr Harper: My hon. Friend is right. We committed interview on “The Andrew Marr Show”, bad though it to reducing net migration from the unsustainable hundreds was, was the lesser of several evils the Mayor is inflicting of thousands that it was under Labour to tens of on London? thousands, which is much more sustainable. That is supported by the vast majority of British people, whomever Damian Green: I would have hoped that the shadow they vote for. I am glad my hon. Friend also supports police Minister would have welcomed the fact that that policy. Metropolitan police crime figures are down by 3% in the past year, showing that the effective co-operation Chris Bryant (Rhondda) (Lab): I wonder whether the between the Home Office at national level and the Minister could help me to spot the difference. Currently Mayor’s office at London level is making London’s regulations and Department for Work and Pensions streets safer than ever before. guidance for jobcentres state that EU migrants cannot claim benefits after six months unless they are Foreign Nationals (Employment Status) “genuinely seeking work, and have a reasonable chance of being engaged”.