Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

UK Human Rights Framework

Tuesday 9 November 2021 · 5 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial plans include overhauling the Human Rights Act to prevent its abuse by dangerous criminals.
  • The Secretary of State affirms the UK's commitment to remaining a signatory to the European convention on human rights.
  • The Secretary of State acknowledges the work of Liberty but states that a balanced approach to HRA reforms is necessary.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Scott Benton
Justice & Courts Standards & Ethics
Context

The Human Rights Act has been a topic of debate, with concerns about its impact on the government's ability to address illegal immigration and other issues.

Question

What plans his Department has to reform the Human Rights Act 1998. The Human Rights Act handed power to unelected judges, both at home and abroad, meaning that Britain remains tied to a foreign court. This is directly interfering with the Government's ability to conduct their business, particularly in preventing the Home Secretary from combating illegal immigration across the channel.

Answer from Dominic Raab

Under this Prime Minister and before the next election, we will overhaul the Human Rights Act to end its abuse by dangerous criminals and to restore some common sense to our justice system.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q2 Gavin Newlands SNP
Democracy & Elections
Context

The UK has been a signatory to the European Convention on Human Rights, but there are debates about whether this should continue.

Question

Does the Secretary of State believe that the UK should remain a signatory to the European convention on human rights, or does he plan to join such liberal luminaries as Belarus outside the convention? Yes or no?

Answer from Dominic Raab

Yes.

Answered
Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q3 Marion Fellows SNP
Women & Equalities Standards & Ethics
Context

There are calls from the campaign group Liberty to end what it describes as a cynical use of violence against women and girls as justification for HRA reforms.

Question

Will the Secretary of State listen to calls from the campaign group Liberty, and commit himself to ending what it has described as a cynical use of violence against women and girls as justification for the planned HRA reforms?

Answer from Dominic Raab

As a trainee lawyer I worked at Liberty, and I have huge respect for the work that it does. In fact, back then I took a test case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg relating to gender discrimination. However, it is also right that we listen to the wider voices, and we have conducted the independent Human Rights Act review to consider all the issues from all the different angles. We are grateful to Sir Peter Gross for chairing that review and we will carefully consider its recommendations in the round.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment to end use of violence against women as justification for HRA reforms

How: Acknowledging Respect But Not Committing

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q4 Scott Benton
Immigration Standards & Ethics
Context

The Human Rights Act has been criticised for handing power to unelected judges, affecting the government's ability to manage illegal immigration and other issues.

Question

The Human Rights Act handed power to unelected judges, both at home and abroad, meaning that Britain remains tied to a foreign court. The creeping power of the courts is directly interfering with the Government's ability to conduct their business, not least in preventing the Home Secretary from combating the unacceptable numbers of illegal immigrants crossing the channel. In light of this, does my right hon. Friend agree with many residents of Blackpool in thinking that it is time we scrapped the Act altogether?

Answer from Dominic Raab

We will look at reforming and overhauling the Human Rights Act, and I think my hon. Friend raises a reasonable point. I support continued membership of the European convention on human rights, but a fair challenge has been raised by lawyers and judges past and present about the elasticity of rights and whether, when they are expanded, that decision ought to be taken by elected Members of this House and not by courts and lawyers. That is a fair challenge, and if hon. Members look fairly at the data from successful challenges on seeking the deportation of foreign national offenders, they will see that there is a good argument that there are too many cases of criminals being able to flout the system because of that elastic interpretation of rights.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Agreement with scrapping the Act altogether

How: Reform Rather Than Scrap, Acknowledging Challenge But Not Committing

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email
Q5 Alex Cunningham Lab
Justice & Courts
Context

There are concerns from victims of crimes that the focus on Human Rights Act reform detracts from addressing issues such as court backlogs, low rape conviction rates, and problems in prisons.

Question

The victims of the most horrendous crimes wait years for justice in this country, the courts backlog might not be sorted for eight years, rape convictions are at shamefully low levels, and even with strict lockdown conditions, violence, self-harm and drug abuse are still rife across the prison estate. Yet the Secretary of State is investing his time and energy in his personal obsession with dismantling the Human Rights Act. What message does he think this sends to victims about the priorities of his Government?

Answer from Dominic Raab

I have visited three prisons in my time as Justice Secretary. We have secured an important settlement for the courts backlog in this spending review, but on top of that, a lot of victims and their families say that it is galling to see foreign national offenders who cannot be deported and are claiming their right to a family life. I think the hon. Gentleman needs to instil a little bit of balance and perspective, and we are going to reintroduce some common sense to the system.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Message to victims about HRA reforms

How: Balance And Perspective

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Get updates like this by email