To ask HMG why Members of Parliament and members of the House of Lords are excluded from Clause 11, “Offence of misleading the public”, of the Public Office (Accountability) Bill; and what consideration they have given to removing this exclusion. Continue reading “My QSD on Public Office (Accountability) Bill: Exclusion”
Both Green Party peers voted against all Conservative amendments during the final stage of the Employment Bill being passed into law and voted for the overall Bill. Our MPs did the same. Even though the government watered down the bill to backtrack slightly on employment rights from day one, the Employment Bill was a step forward. Continue reading “How your Green Peers voted on the Employment Rights Bill “
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services does really important work in shining a light on what is going wrong, but inspection takes us only so far. My amendment asks whether the follow-through is strong enough and whether lessons from other regulated sectors could help turn findings into lasting improvements. In healthcare, education and financial services, regulators are able to require change. Those systems exist because inspection without action does not protect the public. The amendment invites us to consider whether policing oversight could benefit from similar clarity and grip. Continue reading “Crime and Policing Bill Committee Stage Day 11”
My Amendment 9 on the exemptions in the Bill is supported by WildFish, an organisation with extensive expertise in marine conservation, whose work highlights the importance of making sure that decisions to rely on exemptions are transparent. I would like to have moved this amendment, but we are obviously in a hurry to complete the Bill, so I have held off, but it is incredibly important that we do not allow exemptions without understanding why they have happened. Continue reading “Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Bill Report Stage”
I am furious that we are in this position, that we actually have to do this, and that it is not obvious to any Government that in a democracy we need the right to protest to be protected. To engage in peaceful protest means irritating other people. Over recent years, we have seen a real erosion of protest rights through one Bill after another. I sat here and watched it all and protested at every single move. Each was justified on a narrow, technical or operational point but, taken together, they amounted to a clear political direction—making protests harder, riskier and much easier to shut down. Continue reading “Crime and Policing Bill Committee Stage Day 8”
It seems that we are here trying to correct an injustice: that vulnerable women and children are put into a prison where they are clearly not safe is horrendous. It really does not fit with a decent society Continue reading “Sentencing Bill Report Stage”
This Bill creates two new offences in Clause 56: child criminal exploitation and cuckooing. These are important steps. They recognise forms of exploitation that front-line workers, police officers and charities have been grappling with for years. However, the Bill currently does only half the job. It recognises the exploitation, but not the victim. When vulnerable children or exploited adults are used as tools by criminal networks, the criminal justice system should not compound their suffering by treating them as willing participants. These amendments I have tabled would complete the logic of the Bill and ensure that the law protects those who need protection most. Continue reading “Crime and Policing Bill Cmttee Stage Day 3”
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb 