Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Stephenson Excerpts

Thursday 21st July 2016 Commons Chamber

[Bob Blackman (Harrow East) (Con)]

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

[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.

--- Later in debate ---

[The Solicitor General]

I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for the community work he does in his constituency. Hate crime of any kind, whether it is on the grounds of disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or transgender identity, has absolutely no place in our society. We are utterly committed to tackling hate crime.

[Andrew Stephenson]

A Member of the other place recently received a vile racist letter containing white powder, as did a number of mosques and Islamic centres representing a large Pakistani heritage community in Pendle. The long-term rise in Islamophobia is a serious concern. Will my hon. and learned Friend join me in condemning these racist incidents and advise me whether he believes that the separate recording of Islamophobia as a hate crime is likely to help to bring about successful prosecutions?

[The Solicitor General]

The incident that my hon. Friend describes is despicable and shameful, and we must stand together against such hate crime and ensure that it is stamped out. Religious hate crime has been recorded separately since April of this year, at the request of the Prime Minister in her former role as Home Secretary. That will give us a greater understanding of the nature of hate crime.

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[Oliver Colvile (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) (Con)]

4. What steps the Government have taken to increase numbers of women in senior executive roles.

[Andrew Stephenson (Pendle) (Con)]

5. What steps the Government have taken to increase numbers of women in senior executive roles.

[Lucy Allan (Telford) (Con)]

7. What steps the Government have taken to increase numbers of women in senior executive roles.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

Indeed.

[Andrew Stephenson]

Does the Minister agree that the 33% target of women on FTSE 350 boards is achievable?

[Justine Greening]

Yes, I do. We will need to take some steps, but so far the proposal of working voluntarily with business has seen some real progress, including a doubling of women on boards in the FTSE 350, from 9.5% in 2010, when the coalition Government came to office, to 22% now. The number of all male boards has also dropped from 152 in 2011 to 15 today. We have more to do, but I fully expect and hope that we can meet that ambitious, achievable target by 2020.