Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Taiwo Owatemi Excerpts
Wednesday 13th July 2022

(2 years, 3 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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I call the shadow Minister.

Taiwo Owatemi Portrait Taiwo Owatemi (Coventry North West) (Lab)
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I welcome the Minister for Equalities to her place. She sure has a lot to catch up on, whether that is finally addressing LGBT+ hate crime or finally publishing a women’s health strategy. She will be aware that her predecessor resigned last week because of the Conservative party

“creating an atmosphere of hostility for LGBT+ people”.

That is a damning charge from a sitting Conservative MP. Does the Minister agree with her predecessor?

Amanda Solloway Portrait The Minister for Equalities (Amanda Solloway)
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The Government take all hate crimes seriously, and we have robust laws to respond to them. While police have recorded an increase in hate crimes targeting LGBT communities, the biggest drivers for this are an improvement in police recording and the increased willingness of victims to come forward. It is taken very seriously by the Home Office, and we are working with the police on it.