Oral Answers to Questions

Kirsten Oswald Excerpts

Tuesday 20th February 2024 Commons Chamber

[Gavin Newlands (Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP)]

7. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to exonerate sub-postmasters who were convicted due to errors in the Post Office Horizon system.

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

10. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to exonerate sub-postmasters who were convicted due to errors in the Post Office Horizon system.

[The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Alex Chalk)]

In September 2020, a public inquiry was set up into the failings associated with the Post Office Horizon IT system and it is expected to report back later this year. In addition, over £160 million has already been paid out in compensation across three schemes.

However, in its December 2023 letter, the independent Horizon compensation advisory board expressed concern that the pace of exonerations was too slow, not least because evidence had been lost and many were simply too traumatised to come forward. That is why the Prime Minister has decided to bring forward legislation to quash the relevant convictions, and the Department for Business and Trade will be announcing details shortly. These wholly exceptional circumstances have led to this wholly exceptional course.

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[Alex Chalk]

In 2020—coming up to four years ago now—an independent inquiry was set up under Mr Justice Wyn Williams. That is expected to report later this year, and it will go into properly exhaustive details about who knew what and when. We are absolutely clear that there has been an egregious failure of prosecution conduct—frankly, one that brings shame on those involved—and it is absolutely right that that inquiry should get to the bottom of what took place and who knew what and when.

[Kirsten Oswald]

The current chief executive of the Post Office said in evidence to the Business and Trade Committee last month that, despite various audits and investigations, we still do not know the full scope of the money overclaimed through Horizon, or where it went. Even the auditors are unable to give a firm figure. Postmasters such as my constituent Roger have suffered incredible stress and worry as well as significant financial loss, but the prospect of getting to the truth on these figures still seems far off.

Will the Secretary of State commit to working with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade and set out a timetable for updating the House on how much the Post Office took and what it did with the money, so that constituents like mine can start to get the answers and the justice that they deserve?

Oral Answers to Questions

Kirsten Oswald Excerpts

Tuesday 21st November 2023 Commons Chamber

[Joanna Cherry (Edinburgh South West) (SNP)]

3. Whether he plans to take legislative steps to help end violence against women and girls.

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

4. Whether he plans to take legislative steps to help end violence against women and girls.

[Marion Fellows (Motherwell and Wishaw) (SNP)]

8. Whether he plans to take legislative steps to help end violence against women and girls.

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[Laura Farris]

I thank the hon. and learned Lady for her question, and I certainly condemn the conduct that she has described. Even though holding a gender critical belief is protected in law, both under section 10 of the Equality Act 2010 and, more widely, under article 9 of the European convention on human rights, I am aware of the polarisation and, sometimes, intimidation that surrounds this debate. I have seen the letter that Sex Matters wrote to the Prime Minister, and the hon. and learned Lady should be in no doubt about how seriously this is viewed. I have made reference to the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Act 2023, which creates an offence of intentional harassment where there is any causal connection, even a weak one, to a person’s sex, under which such conduct may fall. She has asked for a rapid review, and I would like to meet her to discuss that further and any next steps.

[Kirsten Oswald]

A recent large-scale study by the Open University on societal attitudes and experiences of online violence against women and girls found that seven in 10 believe that the current legislation is not effective in tackling such violence. Almost three quarters of women in Scotland, and more than half of men there, want online violence to be made a crime—that is a higher level than was found among those surveyed in England. Platforms have a duty of care to their users, so what steps is the Minister taking to ensure that new guidance in the Online Safety Act 2023 is effectively enforced and encourages women and girls to come forward with cases of online abuse?

[Laura Farris]

The hon. Lady makes an excellent point. There is no doubt that some of the toxic content, including violent pornography, has a serious impact on the way that women and girls are treated and the attitudes that certain men have towards them. As she will know, the Online Safety Act 2023 only received Royal Assent a month ago, and there is an extended implementation period. She will also know, I hope, that one of the later amendments to the Bill accepted by the Government placed a statutory obligation on Ofcom to publish guidance which summarises the measures that all online services need to take to reduce the risk of violence to women and girls. That is not on its own, but in consultation with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, the Victims Commissioner and other experts. The Act also places an obligation on social media and pornography providers to prevent children from being exposed to harmful content through new and robust age verification exercises—

Draft Judicial Pensions (Remediable Service etc.) Regulations 2023

Kirsten Oswald Excerpts

Wednesday 14th June 2023 General Committees

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

I am grateful to the Minister for the way he set out the SI, which is quite technical. I did not think that what was said was dry. It is true that there is quite a lot of information, as we have just heard, but I was grateful for his efforts to talk us through the regulations. It is understood that consultation has taken place, and I would like to hear a bit more about that.

I know that the SI has absolutely nothing to do with the Women Against State Pension Inequality Campaign, but it is interesting that this pensions issue is moving forward with a consultation, with haste and with good communications. All those things are really important. I suspect that any WASPI women watching the debate might contrast that with their experience. None the less, it is really important to rectify issues of discrimination, and as there clearly has been age discrimination, the measures to remedy it must be welcomed.

The points made about spouses and partners, particularly given the passage of time, are important. The Minister said that he intends for the options exercise to run as soon as possible. Given the passage of time and the subject matter, that seems very sensible. I would be keen to hear the Minister’s answers to my questions, but I do not see anything to oppose in what has been said.

Oral Answers to Questions

Kirsten Oswald Excerpts

Tuesday 16th May 2023 Commons Chamber

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

16. Whether he has had recent discussions with the Scottish Government on the potential effect of provisions in the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill on EU law incorporated in Acts of the Scottish Parliament.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mike Freer)]

The Ministry of Justice has been working closely with the Scottish Government and other devolved Administrations to consider the implications of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill for retained EU law in justice policy areas across the UK. My officials have regular discussions with their devolved Administration counterparts to ensure that proposals to revoke or reform retained EU law are carefully considered to avoid any unintended divergence across the UK.

[Mike Freer]

With regard to this specific Bill, given the announcement last week, I do not believe that there is any infringement on the Scottish competency.

[Kirsten Oswald]

The Bill restricts Scotland’s Lord Advocate’s reference and intervention powers to devolved Scottish legislation. However, there is no corresponding restriction on English law officers to limit them to reserved matters. Does the Minister feel it is right that English law officers would be able to refer Scottish legislation to the courts in that manner, or does he agree with the Law Society of Scotland that that should be left to Scottish law officers?

[Mike Freer]

I will have to look carefully at the references that the hon. Lady has made, but, as far as I am aware, the items of retained EU law in the Ministry of Justice’s remit that are intended to be revoked under the new schedule are all spent measures, and there will be no impact on Scotland.

Oral Answers to Questions

Kirsten Oswald Excerpts

Tuesday 22nd November 2022 Commons Chamber

[Gavin Newlands (Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (SNP)]

5. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on strengthening human rights.

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

6. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on strengthening human rights.

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[Dominic Raab]

The hon. Gentleman is wrong on all counts. I am confident that—[Interruption.] He can quote anonymous sources, and there are some well-known differences of opinion, but I can confidently predict that on Second Reading, the Bill of Rights will have overwhelming support in this House. He cited academics, but I point to Lord Faulks KC, Oliver Sells KC, Jonathan Fisher KC, Steven Barrett KC and John Larkin KC, former Attorney General for Northern Ireland, all of whom have very much welcomed the proposals.

[Kirsten Oswald]

Four out of the five parties in the Scottish Parliament are committed to protecting the Human Rights Act. That view is shared by the party of Government in Wales, it constitutes the majority position in Northern Ireland and it is shared by more than 40% of MPs here, who collectively represent a clear majority of the electorate. Does the Secretary of State not see that by pushing his proposed Bill, he is trampling on the will of the devolved Administrations, but also on the views of the majority of the public?

[Dominic Raab]

I am afraid I do not accept that. It was a manifesto commitment. The Human Rights Act is a UK-wide piece of legislation and a protected enactment under the devolution settlements. Amending it is therefore a matter for the UK Parliament. I have been to all the devolved Administrations and talked to all the Executives. I have had roundtables with all the relevant stakeholders, as have fellow Ministers. We continue to be committed to working with the devolved Administrations in Scotland and elsewhere to ensure that the reforms work well and benefit people across the UK.

Oral Answers to Questions

Kirsten Oswald Excerpts

Tuesday 18th October 2022 Commons Chamber

[Owen Thompson (Midlothian) (SNP)]

19. Whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the compatibility of the migration and economic development partnership with Rwanda with (a) domestic law and (b) the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees.

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

20. Whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the compatibility of the migration and economic development partnership with Rwanda with (a) domestic law and (b) the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees.

[Richard Thomson (Gordon) (SNP)]

21. Whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the compatibility of the migration and economic development partnership with Rwanda with (a) domestic law and (b) the 1951 convention relating to the status of refugees.

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[Gareth Johnson]

Access to legal advice is, of course, extremely important to anyone seeking asylum, which is why legal assistance is available to all asylum claimants. For example, 30 minutes of telephone legal advice and access to legal aid are available to people who claim asylum in this country.

[Kirsten Oswald]

Does the Minister agree with the chief executive of the group Refugee Action that stepping back from the UK’s obligations under the 1951 convention would be

“a blatant breach of the international refugee laws that the UK proudly helped create in the first place”,

and does the new Justice Secretary not feel a responsibility to uphold those international obligations?

[Gareth Johnson]

Everything we are doing complies with the UN convention, and with the UN convention on human rights. It also complies with national law. I have to say to Scottish National party Members that if they spent a little more time looking at the border between the UK and France and a little less time looking at the border between England and Scotland, they might come up with some viable alternatives.

Women and the Vote

Kirsten Oswald Excerpts

Wednesday 8th June 2016 Commons Chamber

[Caroline Dinenage]

Well, yes. We all want to see more women here. In that quest, mentoring is one of the most important things that we can do, and the noble Baroness has been an absolutely outstanding mentor for so many of the women who are among us today. In the other place, there are now 210 female peers, the highest ever number. Two of the three devolved Administrations are now headed by women—

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

rose—

[Caroline Dinenage]

I will give way in a moment. Last year, 44% of new public appointments went to women.

[Caroline Dinenage]

I will in a moment, but first let me say this. I am delighted that, in my local council of Gosport, nearly 40% of our councillors are female, and I pay tribute to every single one of them.

[Kirsten Oswald]

I thank the Minister for giving way. Will she join me in appreciating the fact that, in Scotland, the three leaders of our main political parties are women, and that we have a gender-balanced Cabinet and gender-balanced nominations for our convenerships to the Parliament?

[Caroline Dinenage]

Yes, absolutely. That is very much to be celebrated.

Transitional State Pension Arrangements for Women

Kirsten Oswald Excerpts

Wednesday 24th February 2016 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vara]

I will address the issue of notification later.

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

The Minister’s description of Hansard and the discussions that took place in this House was extensive, but the ladies concerned do not know about that. It is surely unreasonable to expect them to read Hansard to understand what their pension arrangements should be. Women in my constituency are coming to my surgery to tell me of the significant changes that they and their families will experience because of this policy. It is not good enough and the Minister must listen and act.

[Mr Vara]

The hon. Lady is absolutely right that the public are uninterested in Hansard. My point was that people in this House who are speaking in this debate should read Hansard. Rather than simply saying, “Where are the transitional arrangements?”, they should recognise that transitional arrangements were made.

Transitional State Pension Arrangements for Women

Kirsten Oswald Excerpts

Monday 1st February 2016 Westminster Hall

[Gavin Robinson (Belfast East) (DUP)]

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

[Richard Graham]

I will make a little progress first.

I agree with the WASPI campaign that it is clear that more should and could have been done on communication and that a lot of women have had a lot of difficulty as a result of that failure in communication. As I have said, there is still the philosophical question to address. What matters now is whether lessons have been learned by everybody involved and whether changes will be made that help people in future. So long as longevity projections continue to move upwards, the likelihood must be that the state pension age will also move upwards.

Oral Answers to Questions

Kirsten Oswald Excerpts

Tuesday 8th September 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I had intended to suggest that the hon. Member for Newport West (Paul Flynn) seek an Adjournment debate until I realised that he had in fact just conducted it.

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

T2. If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.

[The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Michael Gove)]

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank the leadership of the criminal solicitors profession and the criminal Bar in England and Wales. Over the course of the summer, they felt it necessary to take action to show that they had legitimate concerns about the operation of reforms to legal aid. Thanks to the constructive dialogue that we have had with them and with Ministry of Justice civil servants, we are now in talks to ensure that access to justice can be enhanced and, at the same time, that the quality of advocacy improves.

[Kirsten Oswald]

According to newspaper reports, people recently subjected to the £150 basic criminal courts charge, which was introduced by the Secretary of State’s predecessor, on top of other penalties included a man who stole three bottles of baby milk and a homeless man who stole a bottle of Red Bull. Will the Secretary of State agree to an urgent review of the effect of that ludicrous charge on the recovery of compensation for victims, the pressure it puts on people to plead guilty, and its straightforward iniquity?

[Michael Gove]

I have been made aware of widespread concern about the operation of the criminal courts charge, but it is important to stress that the charge is levied or taken from the offender only after other fines have been paid. It is important that the legislation is understood as having made it clear that the charge should be linked to ability to pay—the payment of that charge in due course should be linked to the offender’s means. We are going to review the criminal courts charge, but it is important not to rush to judgment, because we have to ensure that a change that was made and approved by the House in order to ensure that our justice system is fair, and that those who offended pay their way, is given time to bed in, so that we can form an appropriate judgment in due course.