Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government has made an assessment of the human rights implications of Ealing Council using a Public Spaces Protection Order to criminalise peaceful protest; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government is satisfied that Public Spaces Protection Orders are an important tool in helping local authorities to tackle persistent and unreasonable anti-social behaviour that has a detrimental effect on others’ quality of life. In the refreshed statutory guidance on the use of the powers provided by the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which was published on 24 December 2017, we stressed the importance of ensuring that all the relevant legal tests are met before making such an order. We also said that powers should be used appropriately to provide a proportionate response to the behaviour in question.
The Home Office is aware of Ealing Council’s decision to introduce a Public Spaces Protection Order outside the Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Ealing. This will be considered as part of the current Abortion Clinic Protest Review.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether officials of his Department have met with representatives from (a) the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and (b) Marie Stopes International to discuss pro-life vigils outside abortion centres.
Answered by Nick Hurd
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Sheffield Heeley on the 19th March 2018, UIN 132535.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department plans to speak to women considering abortion who received assistance from people involved in pro-life vigils and who went on to have their child during its consultation on the presence of pro-life vigils near abortion clinics.
Answered by Nick Hurd
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to the Hon. Member for Sheffield Heeley on the 19th March 2018, UIN 132535.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress the Government has made in placing vulnerable Syrian families in the UK.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The resettlement programme is on track to deliver the commitment to resettle 20,000 vulnerable Syrians by the year 2020. Between the start of October 2015 and the end of March 2017, 7,055 people have been resettled under the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme across 235 different local authorities.
Asked by: Edward Leigh (Conservative - Gainsborough)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of serious and organised crime on communities.
Answered by Baroness May of Maidenhead
The Government takes the threat of cyber attack seriously. Last year we created the National Cyber Crime Unit in the National Crime Agency, to lead the national response to cyber crime. We are also investing in the cyber teams in Regional Organised Crime Units, and training police officers in local forces, to ensure we are fully equipped to tackle cyber attacks at every level. And we are strengthening the Computer Misuse Act to ensure that the punishments available to prosecute cyber criminals fit the crime.