Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Rioters: Prosecutions

Thursday 12 September 2024 · 3 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have stated that there is no place for senseless violence on the streets.
  • The Crown Prosecution Service deployed an additional 100 prosecutors and expanded its 24-hour charging service in response to recent disorder.
  • The Lord Chancellor has emphasized the importance of addressing the prison capacity issues inherited by the Government to ensure trials can proceed.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Jake Richards Lab Rother Valley
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The MP is concerned about the prosecution efficiency for those involved in recent riots, following a period of disorder during summer.

Question

What steps she is taking to help ensure rioters are prosecuted efficiently and effectively. The Member notes that recent events require timely and effective legal responses.

Answer from Sarah Sackman

The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have been clear that there is no place for senseless violence on our streets. During the summer, after recent disorder, the Crown Prosecution Service deployed an additional 100 prosecutors, expanded its 24-hour charging service and received additional advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions to enable it to charge more quickly.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific steps being taken currently were not detailed, only general measures from summer are mentioned.

How: Under Review, Working With Partners

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Q2 Bill Esterson Lab Sefton Central
Justice & Courts
Context

The MP is concerned about the impact of early release on those convicted and imprisoned as a result of summer riots.

Question

Does she agree that those convicted and imprisoned as a result of the riots, and those imprisoned for inciting the riots, should not benefit from the early release scheme?

Answer from Sarah Sackman

On the early release scheme, my hon. Friend will have heard the Lord Chancellor set out very clearly this week the importance of taking action on the mess on prison places that this Government inherited. Without the action we have taken, courts would have been unable to hold trials, the police would have been unable to make arrests and there would have been a total breakdown of law and order.

Not addressed: The question about excluding rioters from early release was not directly addressed.

How: Changed Subject

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Q3 Jake Richards Lab Rother Valley
Crime & Law Enforcement Justice & Courts
Context

The MP is interested in lessons learned from the prosecution of rioters to improve efficiency in prosecuting other specific crimes, particularly domestic violence.

Question

What lessons can be learnt more generally to ensure that speedy justice can occur for specific offences, particularly domestic violence?

Answer from Sarah Sackman

The main lesson that we can take from this is how well the system can work when all of its constituent parts—the police, the leadership at the top of Government, and the CPS—all pull in the same direction. That approach will inform this Government's commitment to mission-led government, which will bring all the key elements of the criminal justice system together and ensure that decisions are taken with the whole system in mind.

Not addressed: No specific lessons or measures for domestic violence were provided.

How: Broad Principles

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