Home Department written statement – made at on 8 November 2006.
Gerry Sutcliffe
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
The Government are committed to rebalancing the criminal justice system in favour of victims and the law-abiding Majority.
It is wrong for convicted criminals to profit from their crimes now or in the future, whether directly from the proceeds of the crime itself or indirectly through cashing in on the story of their crime. It is contrary to the principles of natural justice that they should be able to exploit for financial gain crimes which have devastated the lives of victims and their families.
Together with the Scottish Executive and my ministerial colleague at the Northern Ireland Office, Mr. Hanson, we will be publishing on
I will be placing copies of the consultation in the House Libraries. We would welcome comments on the proposals it contains.
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
Annotations
kenneth conner
Posted on 9 Nov 2006 4:04 pm (Report this annotation)
"The Government are committed to rebalancing the criminal justice system in favour of victims and the law-abiding........ It is wrong for convicted criminals to profit from their crimes now or in the future"
Great! Now ask for an investigation into one of the biggest criminal frauds that has been targeted at the "law-abiding".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4397308.stm
Why did the Home Office instruct the police nationally to refer all these tens of thousands of allegations of serious fraud to Icstis to investigate?
Pauline Campbell
Posted on 9 Nov 2006 4:11 pm (Report this annotation)
To be fair and just, the criminal justice system should not "favour" anyone, though Gerry Sutcliffe, Home Office, believes the system should favour victims and the law-abiding majority. What happens in the case of an "alleged criminal", ie someone awaiting trial, who is innocent until proven guilty. Are they to be "favoured", or not?
Gerry Sutcliffe refers to "the principles of natural justice". Does Mr Sutcliffe agree that it is also contrary to the principles of natural justice that Government itself does not uphold the law ... and no-one is held to account? Example: Human Rights Act 1998, Article 3 [inhumane and degrading treatment] - example of recent violations: menstruating women prisoners having to slop out in 2006; male prisoners in high-security prison, denied access to toilets at night, throwing parcels of excrement through cell windows ... see New Statesman, 05.06.06; interview with Chief Inspector of Prisons: www.newstatesman.com/200606050005
There must be an end to double standards and hypocrisy if New Labour is ever to command respect from the electorate.