Oral Answers to Questions

Andy Slaughter Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd March 2022 Commons Chamber

[The Minister for Crime and Policing (Kit Malthouse)]

I am pleased that my hon. Friend recognises that dozens of teams of offenders are fanning out across England and Wales and doing fantastic work, paying back into their community by improving the environment. My hon. Friend has been a persistent campaigner on the antisocial behaviour that quad bikes bring to his constituency and I know he will have conversations with his local police and crime commissioner about what the police can do to catch the individuals responsible. When they do catch them, it is absolutely appropriate that they pay back into the community through the kind of work that we now see on a daily basis. It might also be appropriate to GPS tag offenders so that we know where they are moving at speed off-road.

[Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith) (Lab)]

If, as the Secretary of State said earlier, he is concerned about the oppressive use of litigation costs in SLAPP cases, will he look into the same problems in respect of media cases? Will he consider introducing—perhaps in his Bill of Rights—the type of low-cost arbitration recommended by the Leveson inquiry?

[Dominic Raab]

I recognise the issue that the hon. Gentleman wants to deal with but we are not going to rake over the old coals of that debate.