Oral Answers to Questions

Michael Fabricant Excerpts

Monday 13th October 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

We are making rather leisurely progress today, and we need to speed up if I am to get to colleagues further down the Order Paper.

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

Hear, hear!

[Mr Speaker]

I have the hon. Gentleman’s interests in mind; he need not worry.

--- Later in debate ---

[James Brokenshire]

My hon. Friend makes his clear point, which he has made consistently over the years. He is right to say that we need to focus on net migration from outside the EU, as well as the implications of free movement. That is why we made the changes that we have made to reform benefit entitlements. I say again that free movement is absolutely one of the aspects on which we will want renegotiation to take place.

[Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con)]

13. What steps she is taking to tackle Islamic extremism on the internet; and if she will make a statement.

[The Minister for Security and Immigration (James Brokenshire)]

The Home Office works with the internet industry and police to restrict access to terrorist and extremist material. Since 2013, over 32,000 pieces of unlawful terrorist-related content have been removed from the internet. We are also working with industry to build the capacity and skills of civil society groups to counter online extremism.

[Michael Fabricant]

My hon. Friend will know that the servers that provide this information and encourage people to become jihadist extremists originate abroad, often in countries over which we have no control, so could he explain in a little more detail precisely how we can stop those servers producing such websites?

[James Brokenshire]

My hon. Friend makes an important point. The counter-terrorism internet referral unit, which is at the heart of our response in taking down these unlawful websites, is working with the providers that are obviously hosting this material, and there are successes in taking them down. But he highlights the need for more to be done. That is what we are doing through discussions with the internet service providers and other EU partners as well, which is what I was in Luxembourg to do last week.