Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Bob Blackman and Robert Buckland

Thursday 21st July 2016 Commons Chamber

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

10. What recent discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions on the prosecution of hate crime.

[The Solicitor General (Robert Buckland)]

I discuss this matter regularly with the DPP, and the Government will publish their hate crime strategy very shortly.

[Bob Blackman]

I thank my hon. and learned Friend for his answer. Given the terrible terrorist atrocities in Nice, Paris and, recently, Germany, many people in this country are fearful that because of their religion or the colour of their skin, they will be the subject of hate crime. What assurances can my hon. and learned Friend give to those people that we will prosecute, to the full extent of the law, anyone involved in hate crime?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Bob Blackman and Robert Buckland

Thursday 26th May 2016 Commons Chamber

[The Solicitor General (Robert Buckland)]

As Government pro bono champions, the Attorney General and I continue to support, through our co-ordinating committees, a number of projects that reinforce how important pro bono work and public legal information are, not just domestically but internationally.

[Bob Blackman]

Clearly the actions of certain lawyers bring the profession into disrepute, but thousands of people across the country achieve justice through pro bono work. Does my hon. and learned Friend agree that lawyers who give their time free of charge are helping justice in this country?

[The Solicitor General]

In the last financial year, £601 million-worth of work was provided pro bono by lawyers in private practice—that is, barristers, solicitors and legal executives. They recognise that the time they give makes a real difference to people who would otherwise be denied access to justice.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Bob Blackman and Robert Buckland

Thursday 2nd July 2015 Commons Chamber

[Bob Blackman]

I thank my hon. and learned Friend for that answer. Clearly, we want to rid society of this scourge. Will he update the House on how many prosecutions have been brought to court and how many are in the pipeline?

[The Solicitor General]

From 2010, particular offences that involve forced marriage as a key element have been flagged by the CPS. I am happy to report that the volume of completed prosecutions in the last year, 2014-15, rose to 46, the highest ever. There is more work to be done, but the progress is encouraging.