Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Justice

Oral Answers to Questions

Paul Blomfield Excerpts
Tuesday 8th September 2015

(9 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Virendra Sharma Portrait Mr Virendra Sharma (Ealing, Southall) (Lab)
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2. When he plans to open a consultation on proposals for a British Bill of Rights.

Paul Blomfield Portrait Paul Blomfield (Sheffield Central) (Lab)
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9. When he plans to open a consultation on proposals for a British Bill of Rights.

Dominic Raab Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Dominic Raab)
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We will bring forward proposals on a Bill of Rights this autumn. They will be subject to full consultation. The preparation is going well. Given the hon. Gentleman’s excellent work on the Joint Committee on Human Rights, I look forward to engaging seriously with him on the substance.

Dominic Raab Portrait Mr Raab
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I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question, but I have to say that the Human Rights Act was also rushed. There was no period of consultation and it was introduced into Parliament in just six months, which is why it has proved flawed in practice. We will take our time to get the plans right, and we will take on board all the views that have been expressed. We want to restore some balance to our human rights regime, and that is what a Bill of Rights will achieve.

Paul Blomfield Portrait Paul Blomfield
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Earlier this year, the Attorney-General described the European convention on human rights as “an excellent document”, and I am sure that the Minister would agree. Our Human Rights Act allows British judges to interpret the convention in the British context. Will the Minister explain precisely how a new British Bill of Rights will change that situation?

Dominic Raab Portrait Mr Raab
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I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. As he knows, there are many different ways in which we can implement the ECHR in domestic law. There are 47 states party to the European convention, and they all do it slightly differently. We want to see greater authority for the Supreme Court—the Labour Government set up the Supreme Court and we do not think that it should be subordinated—and a greater respect for the legislative role of hon. Members in this place.

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Shailesh Vara Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Shailesh Vara)
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I can certainly give my hon. Friend that assurance. I very much look forward to hearing of any options he has when he responds to the consultation.

Paul Blomfield Portrait Paul Blomfield (Sheffield Central) (Lab)
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T4. The National Audit Office has estimated that between 160,000 and 220,000 careworkers are illegally paid below the national minimum wage, but if they seek redress, those workers, without money, are expected to pay hundreds of pounds in employment tribunal fees. Does the Secretary of State accept that his Department’s tribunal fee policy makes a mockery of the Prime Minister talking tough on poverty pay?

Michael Gove Portrait Michael Gove
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I take the hon. Gentleman’s concerns very seriously. The Prime Minister last month made it clear that we will put in place new enforcement mechanisms to ensure that all employers live up to their responsibility to pay an appropriate wage for the job. That enforcement mechanism and that investigatory mechanism will ensure that those people, whom the hon. Gentleman and I both care about, are paid the right rate for the job.