Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Major Road Blockages: Climate Activists

Thursday 16 December 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 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government pursuing legal action against individuals breaching injunctions on major roads
  • Injunctions have led to prosecutions of activists who block roads
  • Legislation in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill would criminalize road-blocking activities

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Tom Hunt
Crime & Law Enforcement Transport Environment
Context

Climate activists have been blocking major roads in England, causing disruptions to essential services and traffic.

Question

What steps the Government are taking to help prevent climate activists from blocking major roads in England?

Answer from Grant Shapps

National Highways continues to pursue legal action against individuals who breached its injunctions. Thanks to those injunctions, which I asked National Highways to pursue, 11 people have been prosecuted and will be spending this Christmas at Her Majesty's pleasure.

Answered
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Q2 Marco Longhi
Crime & Law Enforcement Climate
Context

Some protesters have been disrupting ambulances, children visiting dying parents, and the delivery of critical supplies.

Question

Does my right hon. Friend agree that those who stop ambulances from reaching emergencies, those who block children from seeing their dying parents one last time and those who block vital goods from reaching their destination should face the full force of the law?

Answer from Grant Shapps

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. It is unacceptable for people to disrupt other people's lives by gluing themselves to roads; it does not help with climate change, because all those cars are sitting there not moving, blasting out all the greenhouse gases that we are trying to avoid. That is why I instructed National Highways to take out a nationwide injunction. Two further cases were committed to prison yesterday and there are further cases in the works.

Answered
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Q3 Tom Hunt
Justice & Courts Transport
Context

National Highways has a temporary injunction against activists blocking major roads.

Question

I welcome very much the national injunction on motorways and key strategic road networks. However, I understand that it is temporary. I wonder whether my right hon. Friend could confirm that he is considering making it permanent.

Answer from Grant Shapps

My hon. Friend is right to spot a gap in the law here, which is why the Home Secretary is introducing legislation in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill that would make the actual activity criminal. Through those injunctions, 130 activists have been served with 475 sets of injunction papers.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Does not confirm whether he is considering making it permanent, only mentions legislation in progress.

How: Looking At This

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Q4 Lilian Greenwood Lab Nottingham South
Transport
Context

Road congestion is a persistent issue in the UK, affecting health, environment, and business.

Question

Roads across this country are blocked every single day not by protesters, but by traffic congestion. This problem will only get worse unless the alternatives to rising car use—walking, cycling and public transport—are safer, more convenient and affordable. Will the Secretary of State reverse his plans to raise rail fares by an eye-watering 3.8% next March?

Answer from Grant Shapps

I do not want to try your patience by switching to a rail discussion, but I suggest that she has a word with her Front Benchers and supports our plan for £24 billion for road maintenance and development.

Not addressed: Does not address the specific ask about reversing plans to increase rail fares.

How: Switching Topic

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Q5 Jim Shannon DUP Strangford
Transport Democracy & Elections
Context

Protesters are causing delays and obstruction for road users.

Question

I thank the Secretary of State for his commitment to legislation that will effectively stop people delaying, inconveniencing and obstructing people going to their work and elsewhere. There is a fine balance to be met between the right to protest and not obstructing or delaying people by what is happening. Will he confirm that the right to protest can still exist but not to the detriment of road users?

Answer from Grant Shapps

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right: the right to protest is central to our democracy, but that does not provide people with the right to stop people getting to urgent hospital appointments, getting their kids to school and going about their lawful business.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Does not confirm whether it will be balanced or just focused on road user rights.

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