View PDF - United Kingdom Parliament

19 Oral Answers
26 OCTOBER 2009
Oral Answers
20
people who know about this, they would point out that
if young people wanted ASBOs as a badge of honour,
why would they go to such extraordinary lengths to
avoid them?
T5. [295155] Ben Chapman (Wirral, South) (Lab):
During a visit to an excellent open day at Wirral
magistrates court last week, I discovered that the level
of unpaid fines, despite considerable improvement,
remained high. Obviously, if fines are not paid, their
deterrent effect is reduced, so what measures are being
taken by the Home Office, in conjunction with the
department of legal affairs, to ensure that these unpaid
fine levels are reduced?
Alan Johnson: My hon. Friend mentions a “Ministry
of Legal Affairs”, which sounds like something from
“The Thick of It”. If he is talking about the Ministry of
Justice, I can tell him that we work very closely with it.
Unpaid fines are, of course, a matter for that Department
and I know it is working very hard to ensure that they
are paid. Indeed, it can point to statistics showing an
incredible improvement over the last 10 years.
T8. [295158] Mr. Edward Timpson (Crewe and Nantwich)
(Con): In recent months, Crewe and Nantwich
residents have been working in close partnership with
the police in the fight against drugs on the streets.
Although I am sure the Home Secretary would
commend them for their actions, what can he tell them
that the Government have planned to help to alleviate
the administrative burden placed on the police in
dealing with drugs crime?
Alan Johnson: The administrative burden is not confined
to drug crimes; it should be reduced to the absolute
minimum for the police in all respects. We have had
some incredible success on that in removing bureaucracy
from the police’s shoulders. I recently made a speech
saying that there is much further to go, which is why we
asked Jan Berry, the former head of the Police Federation,
to look at this for us and present a completely independent
report to tell us where she thinks, from her vast personal
knowledge and experience, we could do more to help.
Her report is due very shortly.
T6. [295156] David Taylor (North-West Leicestershire)
(Lab/Co-op): The phrase “domestic extremism” is now
widely employed by police forces seeking to control
and classify many public demonstrations, even though
they are legitimate and non-violent political protests.
What guidance has the Home Secretary issued to chief
constables on the definition and use of that phrase in
this context?
Alan Johnson: I have not issued any guidance on the
definition of that phrase. The police know what they
are doing and how to tackle such demonstrations, and
they do so very effectively. A combination of the right
legislation introduced by my predecessor, the right hon.
Member for Norwich, South (Mr. Clarke), the police
treating the matter as an absolute priority and other
measures have led to far fewer problems as a result of
animal rights extremism. That is one form of domestic
extremism, and if the police want to use such a term, I
would not fall to the floor clutching my box of Kleenex.
It sounds like a sensible way to describe such forms of
extremism.
T9. [295159] Mr. Henry Bellingham (North-West Norfolk)
(Con): Given that the Home Secretary has stated that it
is in the interests of justice that the killers of Yvonne
Fletcher are charged, why is the Met sitting on a
Crown Prosecution Service-commissioned report that
concluded that there is sufficient evidence to charge
Matouk Matouk and Mohammed Baghdadi with
conspiracy to murder?
Alan Johnson: If the hon. Gentleman cares to contact
me, I will consider that matter. I have not heard of the
report he mentions, but we want to ensure that justice is
done by Yvonne Fletcher. That has been our priority
from the start, and that is why it was a major part of our
discussions with Libya a few years ago.
Ms Sally Keeble (Northampton, North) (Lab): When
will my right hon. Friend bring forward the final code
on alcohol sales, as promised in the Policing and Crime
Bill? Will it deal with the problem of cut-price promotions
in shops, pubs and clubs?
Alan Johnson: On the latter question, I hope that the
code will deal with that matter. On the former question,
we have finished the consultation and are preparing a
response that will be out soon.
David Howarth (Cambridge) (LD): Further to the
question asked by the hon. Member for North-West
Leicestershire (David Taylor) about the alphabet soup
of agencies that appears to have decided to put everyone
in the country who protests about anything on a list of
suspects, does the Home Secretary agree that that is an
example of mission creep? It has gone beyond the
original intention of dealing with violent animal rights
extremists, and everyone else in the country who protests
is now being treated in that way.
Alan Johnson: I do not accept that, and I do not
know why Liberal Democrat Members jump to that
conclusion. The police are doing their job effectively.
There was an issue around the G7 protest or the G20
protest—one of the protests—earlier this year that led
the police to look again at some of their procedures.
The result of those deliberations will be contained in
the White Paper on policing, which will be published
shortly.
Mr. Ian McCartney (Makerfield) (Lab): My right
hon. Friend has been doing a lot of work behind the
scenes to introduce a scheme to assist British citizens
who are victims of terror abroad. May I ask him when
the Government are likely to introduce a scheme and
make some announcement? The victims of Bali, Mumbai
and Sharm el-Sheikh and their families have waited far
too long to get compensation for the brutal attacks,
deaths and injuries that they have had to put up with
over the past decade or so?
Alan Johnson: I commend my right hon. Friend for
his work in this connection. As he will know, the Prime
Minister and the Government are keen to introduce a
scheme whereby those British people injured in terrorist