Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Home Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Lord Blunkett Excerpts
Monday 7th January 2013

(11 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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James Brokenshire Portrait James Brokenshire
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I am, of course, happy to join my hon. Friend in congratulating his local force on its work in dealing with this very serious matter. Although we currently have no plans to classify lasers as offensive weapons, we are determined to ensure that best practice is shared between forces. I hope that my hon. Friend will be pleased to learn that one of the five objectives of the newly established College of Policing will be to identify what works in policing, share best practice, and ensure that that best practice is adopted.

Lord Blunkett Portrait Mr David Blunkett (Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough) (Lab)
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Can the Home Secretary shed any light on the Prime Minister’s thinking, as expressed yesterday, about the removal of Abu Qatada?

Baroness May of Maidenhead Portrait Mrs May
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The Prime Minister and I are of one mind on that, and I think that the majority of the public and Members of Parliament are as well. We want to deport Abu Qatada to Jordan. We are working on two tracks: we are continuing to work with the Jordanian Government to establish whether anything can be done to deal with the issue raised by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission in relation to our inability to deport him, and we have sought and been granted leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal. The case will be heard next month.