Oral Answers to Questions

Baroness Featherstone Excerpts

Thursday 10th November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Mr Douglas Carswell (Clacton) (Con)]

2. What her policy is on reducing (a) forced marriages and (b) honour killings; and if she will make a statement.

[The Minister for Equalities (Lynne Featherstone)]

The Government are committed to ending the abusive practices of forced marriage and honour killings, and to ensuring that victims are protected. These practices are indefensible and never acceptable. Our action plan to end violence against women and girls sets out our approach, which includes raising awareness, development of training for police and prosecutors, support for victims, and improving the international response.

[Mr Carswell]

How quickly will the Government move to ensure that forced marriage is made a criminal offence?

[Lynne Featherstone]

Up to now, this has been a civil matter under protection orders. We are making it a criminal offence to breach a civil order, and we will be consulting on the actual offence becoming a criminal one before Christmas.

[Mrs Mary Glindon (North Tyneside) (Lab)]

What discussions is the Minister having with colleagues in the Department for Education to ensure that schools spot any early signs of vulnerability to forced marriage?

[Lynne Featherstone]

We have an inter-ministerial group on violence against women and girls, to which the Department for Education sends a Minister. As the hon. Lady knows, issues relating to forced marriage are principally, though not exclusively, explored within personal, social and health education. The Department for Education continues to work closely with other Departments, and it reports to us in the inter-ministerial group.

[Angela Smith (Penistone and Stocksbridge) (Lab)]

3. What steps she is taking to tackle hate crime.

[The Minister for Equalities (Lynne Featherstone)]

Tackling hate crime is an issue that the Government take extremely seriously, and we are committed to doing more to support and protect victims. We are meeting the coalition commitment to improve the recording of such crimes, and working with the police and other partners to encourage more victims to come forward. We are also working with the Government’s independent advisory group to develop an action plan on tackling all forms of hate crime.

[Angela Smith]

Next week is anti-bullying week. What is the Minister going to do to tackle homophobic bullying in schools?

[Lynne Featherstone]

We take all bullying very seriously, including homophobic and transgender bullying. The Department of Health has issued new guidelines on bullying that are much more condensed and to the point. Also, Ofsted has now included behaviours in its inspection regime. The hon. Lady is right: this is an appalling form of hate crime, and we are dealing with it.

[Stuart Andrew (Pudsey) (Con)]

One in five gay or lesbian people has experienced a homophobic attack in the past three years. As someone who experienced such an attack in the ’90s, I am aware of the fear that follows such an attack. Will the Minister join me in welcoming the excellent work being done by West Yorkshire police to engage the lesbian, bisexual, gay and transgender community in tackling this awful hate crime?

[Lynne Featherstone]

I thank my hon. Friend for his question, and I am sorry to learn that he had such an experience. The statistics on hate crime are quite frightening. In 2010, there were 48,000 incidents. I would very much like to congratulate the police force in West Yorkshire. It is vital that the police take this issue seriously, because they are in a position to act when someone comes to them to report it. We must tackle hate crime and ensure that every incident is investigated.

[Nic Dakin (Scunthorpe) (Lab)]

5. What steps the Government are taking to provide support to women in the criminal justice system who have been victims of domestic violence and abuse.