Colleen Fletcher
Main Page: Colleen Fletcher (Labour - Coventry North East)Department Debates - View all Colleen Fletcher's debates with the Leader of the House
(5 years, 9 months ago)
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Andrea Leadsom
The hon. Gentleman always raises matters of freedom of religion and he is absolutely right to do so. The situation that he raises around Cuba is very concerning. The UK does, of course, promote tolerance and acceptance of different faiths and beliefs within our own country, but it is also something that we want to see right around the world. We have Foreign Office questions on Tuesday 2 April and I encourage him to submit a question, or to seek an Adjournment debate, so that he can raise this matter directly with Ministers.
Colleen Fletcher (Coventry North East) (Lab)
The knife angel, a sculpture created from confiscated knives, has again gone on display in Coventry. The sculpture is a stark reminder of the surging levels of knife crime that have infected our city and wrought such devastation on individuals, families and communities. More than anything else, the knife angel symbolises our city’s commitment to tackle violent crime and to encourage all those who carry knives to turn away from violence and aggression and towards peace and reconciliation. Will the Leader of the House join me in encouraging other towns and cities to offer to host the knife angel, and will she arrange a debate in Government time on knife crime and the impact that cuts to public services have had on our ability to tackle this increasing scourge?
Andrea Leadsom
The hon. Lady makes an excellent suggestion and challenge to other hon. Members to seek to have the knife angel hosted in their own areas. I know that there are many local police and crime commissioners who are really focused on resolving this appalling issue of the rise particularly in knife crime. She will be aware that the Government are introducing a £200 million youth endowment fund to try to prevent young people from being attracted to a life that takes them down that path of knife crime. The Government are doing everything that we possibly can to try to prevent this, and it is right that all hon. Members seek to do what they can to highlight their concerns about it.