Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Morris and Brandon Lewis

Monday 5th December 2016 Commons Chamber

[David Morris (Morecambe and Lunesdale) (Con)]

3. What steps she is taking to ensure that police forces better represent the communities they serve.

[The Minister for Policing and the Fire Service (Brandon Lewis)]

We have reformed policing to ensure that there is a sector-led approach to improving representation. We established the College of Policing as the professional body which is delivering a major programme of work called BME Progression 2018. Alongside this, innovative schemes such as Direct Entry, Fast Track and Police Now are making the police workforce more diverse than ever before.

[David Morris]

Does my hon. Friend agree that even though a lot of work has been done, some forces have a long, long way to go to make that quota better?

[Brandon Lewis]

My hon. Friend makes a good point. The police have done a great deal of work on diversity generally, particularly seeing more women coming in, but there is more to do in relation to black and minority ethnic communities and women generally across the force. I hope that forces right across the country will be very focused on this as they go through their recruitment exercises now.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between David Morris and Brandon Lewis

Monday 17th September 2012 Commons Chamber

[David Morris (Morecambe and Lunesdale) (Con)]

9. What the average change was in band D council tax between 1997-98 and 2009-10.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Brandon Lewis)]

The average change in band D council tax between 1997-98 and 2009-10 was 105%.

[David Morris]

I congratulate my hon. Friend on his new position. Does he agree that this enormous increase in council tax has not yet corresponded with improvements in services under previous Governments? Is that not just another example of an inefficient Labour Government heaping taxes on people yet giving them very little in return?

[Brandon Lewis]

My hon. Friend is correct to say that this is one of the taxes that the previous Government forced up while still running up record debts and deficit for this country. I am pleased to say that over the last couple of years, this Government have overseen council tax freezes that have led to a fall of 4.4% in real terms.