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Donate to our crowdfunderBaroness Harris of Richmond: My Lords, I am very grateful to the Minister. I think that we are probably seeking the same ends but through slightly different means. The detailed clarity to be found in guidance is to be welcomed and I look forward to it. I do not think that we can go any further with the amendment at this stage but I am grateful that our discussion will be recorded in Hansard so that authorities will be...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: My Lords, I spoke to a number of related amendments in Committee and supported earlier versions of both Amendments 11 and 15 in this group. However, I shall speak first to my Amendment 11. The Minister's response at that time focused more on other amendments in the group and did not really deal with this one, beyond acknowledging that many police authorities already carry out their...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: My Lords, I am very grateful to the Minister who has once again given a very full and frank response. We are not going to get anywhere with these amendments, no matter how hard we try. I can only think that the future will be where we will look to say, eventually, "I told you so". With those remarks, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 7 withdrawn. Clause 5 : Police collaboration...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: My Lords, now begins a series of amendments to Clause 5. Amendments 8 and 9 would remove the current power of veto, which appears to have been given to chief officers over authority collaboration agreements and ensures that an authority only needs to consult a chief officer about agreements which affect the police force, as opposed to just the police authority. Amendment 8 seeks to remove...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: I am grateful to the Minister for his response and welcome what he said about statutory guidance. I look forward to seeing whether it makes any difference. However, the provision still gives powers to chief officers to veto authority collaboration agreements and confuses ultimate accountability for ensuring that collaboration. The police authority is the governing body of the police force. It...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: My Lords, I support the noble Baroness, Lady Henig, because the amendments are designed to improve the current senior appointments panel proposals to guarantee tripartite balance in its membership and to be much clearer about its functions. I particularly welcome her points about the pre-appointment screening, with which I wholeheartedly agree. Once again, I feel that the powers of the...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: My Lords, in moving Amendment 7, I shall also speak to Amendments 99 and 100, which are grouped with it. My original amendment in Committee sought to remove this part of the Bill altogether because of my concerns about the wide-ranging powers that it confers on the Secretary of State, yet again, to make orders about senior appointments and related matters. I reluctantly accept that the...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: My Lords, I support my noble friend Lady Miller of Chilthorne Domer. At the outset I declare an interest as a former police authority chair and, at present, as a vice-president of the Association of Police Authorities. I referred in Committee to an article written by Henry Porter in the Guardian online on Tuesday, 10 February. With your Lordships' permission, I should like to return not to...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: My Lords, I must declare an interest as a former chair of a police authority and the present vice-president of the Association of Police Authorities. I put my name to the amendment tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Henig, and, with the agreement of your Lordships' House, move it on her behalf. She unfortunately cannot be with us tonight. This amendment relates to Clause 5 on police...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: My Lords, I thank the Minister for his comments. The one part of his comments with which I agreed was working with the APA on statutory guidance, which I would certainly encourage. I just feel that the writers of the Bill have not got it; they just have not understood what we are trying to say, quite frankly. The use of common sense is all very well, but I wish that some had been applied when...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: That is, unless the Minister decides that he will withdraw this part of the Bill altogether. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment 152C withdrawn. Clause 99 agreed. Clauses 100 to 108 agreed. Amendment 153 Moved by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer 153: After Clause 108, insert the following new Clause— "Interpretation of disorder (1) The Public Order Act 1986 (c. 64) is...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: My Lords, I am very grateful to the Minister for responding. Some of his responses have made me even more concerned, so I look forward to hearing what he has to say. I hope that it will be a full account. The noble Lord, Lord Cope, talked about nibbling away at the CTA. That is exactly what we think will happen. I do not think that this is just me being paranoid. The Northern Ireland Human...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: In the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Bill, which was considered earlier this year and which has now received Royal Assent, the Government introduced reforms to the common travel area which would have ended the CTA as a passport-free zone, introduced passport control on air and sea routes and raised the prospect of mobile immigration controls and actual, or de facto, document...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: I am assuming that the noble and learned Lord has moved the amendment.
Baroness Harris of Richmond: My Lords, the Secretary of State referred to the folding of the NXEC franchise as regrettable and disappointing. I would add, but not surprising. I have been a long-time critic of the way that that franchise has been run on the railway. I am very pleased to hear the Secretary of State say that the jobs of the onboard staff will be assured and safe. I suggest that one way to get a bit of money...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: My Lords, will the Government ensure that the legal difficulties are resolved, if necessary by legislation, before the devolution of policing and justice takes place?
Baroness Harris of Richmond: My name is added to this amendment. The noble Baroness, Lady Henig, has outlined it perfectly adequately and I have nothing further to say, other than that I support it.
Baroness Harris of Richmond: My name is attached to the amendment that the noble Baroness, Lady Henig, has outlined admirably. I will say only that I support it and that I hope that the Minister will answer the questions.
Baroness Harris of Richmond: I am rising on behalf of Liberty to propose that Clause 11 and Clause 12 do not stand part of the Bill. I am happy to do so because it is important that Liberty sees its way into Hansard. Clauses 11 and 12 raise some serious concerns about the ability of the Secretary of State to interfere in operational policing matters with regard to specific forces. Currently, the Police Act 1996 allows...
Baroness Harris of Richmond: I added my name to this amendment, but the Liberal Democrats have a rather different system for the construction of police authorities. The first parts of Amendment 44A would be quite difficult to support, although I support proposed new sub-paragraph (3), which states: "A relevant council or joint committee shall exercise its power to appoint members of a police authority under sub-paragraph...