Police and Crime Commissioners

Lord Prescott Excerpts

Thursday 22nd March 2012 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Stowell of Beeston]

I agree. Indeed, I am delighted that, after such fierce opposition to elected police and crime commissioners, senior Labour politicians are now embracing this opportunity to increase public accountability. I think that the noble Lord, Lord Prescott, put it as clearly as I can when he said in some of his recent media interviews:

“The public should have much more of a say in determining the force’s priorities and responsibilities”,

and,

“That’s never been done before. That’s quite a radical reform”.

[Lord Prescott]

My Lords, this is a scandalous decision to deny 7 million people, according to the Electoral Commission, the right to vote simply because they do not have access to the website. In my area, Humberside, where I may well have an interest in the future that I perhaps should declare, that will mean 170,000 people, mostly elderly, will be denied their democratic right to information about the candidates. Will the Minister tell me why there appears to be two departmental positions? In the same elections, department for employment says that it will finance the mayor and exercise all democratic right to information, but then the Home Office comes along and says, “No, we will not fundamentally say that”. What is the Government’s position when there are two different departments in the same election denying democratic rights?