Let me start by saying that I support freedom of speech and the right to protest but these do not come without boundaries. These are freedoms that we value. However, I do not support action that causes significant difficulties for others by preventing them going about their daily lives. We have seen actions that have stopped people getting to work or doing business, caused people to miss long awaited hospital appointments, interfered with emergency services and put others at risk. With this in mind I welcome the Public Order Bill which seeks to ensure that the police have the powers that they need to deal with these situations. It is not right that a small minority can engage in disruptive protest activity causing problems for others and costing the taxpayer millions to resolve.
Some of the issues raised in this way are genuine concerns and often ones that are already on the minds of many, including the Government. However many issues take time to address and are not straight forward. The activity of these protest groups can lose support from any people rather than gain it.
The Bill seeks to support the police to manage and tackle dangerous and highly disruptive tactics, as well as to prevent major transport projects and infrastructure from being targeted by protestors. This follows the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PSCS) Act, which received Royal Assent at the end of the last parliamentary session. This included a number of measures to enable the police to better manage protests.
The Public Order Bill seeks to introduce new criminal offences of locking-on and going equipped to lock-on; make it illegal to obstruct major transport works such as HS2; create a new criminal offence for interfering with key national infrastructure; extend stop and search powers for police to search for and seize articles related to protest-related activity; and introduce Serious Disruption Prevention Orders where a breach of the order would constitute a criminal offence.
These new changes to public order law will put a stop to the relentless reoffending and significant disruption caused by a minority of protesters which impinge on the rights of the British public to go about their daily lives in peace.
In the House I also supported the proposed new clause to introduce buffer zones around abortion clinics and hospitals where interference with, and intimidation or harassment of, women accessing or people providing abortion services would be an offence. It is sad that such things have to be brought into legislation. Such decisions are rarely made lightly and for others to intimidate an individual for their decision simply because they disagree goes against the rights of an individual. This is not to suggest that I do not understand or appreciate the issues behind this.
I look forward to ensuring that the Bill receives the thorough scrutiny it commands as it progresses through Parliament, and I will be following developments closely.
