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Sir Norman Fowler (Sutton Coldfield): The Opposition join the Home Secretary in utterly
condemning this action and the people responsible for it. We also join him in sending our deep sympathy to those injured by the two bombs. I also pay tribute to the emergency services, particularly the police, who demonstrated in a very practical way that they are there to serve all the community.
Let me ask the Home Secretary three short questions. First, is not the most important message that we should send out that such bombings will in no way influence policy or affect our determination to achieve the best possible community and race relations in Britain? A few extremists, however dangerous they may be, will not alter that aim and if the people who planted the bombs think otherwise, they do not understand either the determination or the decency of the British people.
Secondly, will the Home Secretary say something about the potential danger in cities outside London which have significant black and Asian communities? I assume that there is the prospect of the terrorists attacking other cities, so what precautions are being taken?
Finally, may I ask the right hon. Gentleman about policy on the future strength of the police? The police now face demands for more community policing and more policemen and policewomen on the beat, as well as other officers to deal with such outrages. Does the Home Secretary agree that now is an opportunity to assess anew the demands on the police service and to look at future policy on the strength of the service?
Above all, this afternoon we join the Home Secretary in absolutely condemning the bombings and the people responsible for them. We want more than words of condemnation, however: we want the most effective possible action to be taken to bring these terrorists to justice.
Mr. Straw:
I am grateful for the right hon. Gentleman's support for what I said, and especially for the support that he has expressed for the efforts of the police and the other emergency services. I am in no doubt of the resolve of Sir Paul Condon, the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, and of every other officer in the service to ensure that those who perpetrated those terrible deeds are apprehended and brought to justice.
The right hon. Gentleman asked three questions. First, he asked whether I believe that such bombings may influence policy, and the right hon. Gentleman spoke for the whole House when he answered that question himself. Indeed, I believe that such outrages merely strengthen the resolve of every decent person in the country to reject racism in all its forms and to work towards a multiracial and multicultural society.
Secondly, the right hon. Gentleman asked about the potential danger in other cities. As I said in my statement, there continues to be a risk while those who perpetrated the bombings remain at large. By definition, we do not know where they may decide to plant bombs next, if they in fact make such a decision. That emphasises the need for vigilance in all communities and especially in those with substantial numbers of black and Asian people. Of course, police across the country are giving guidance to such areas, and especially to those that are considered vulnerable.
Finally, I can tell the right hon. Gentleman that the resources available to the Metropolitan police service were increased by 2.7 per cent. this year. As part of that,
I increased by £25 million the special payment to the Metropolitan police service in respect of its national police functions, and it now has the resources to fight this kind of outrage.
Ms Oona King (Bethnal Green and Bow):
The House has just heard about the Government's welcome and proactive role in combating ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Will my right hon. Friend confirm that the Government will be equally proactive in tackling ethnic cleansing in our country, whose most recent manifestation occurred in my constituency? I hope that my right hon. Friend will forgive my presumption that his answer to my question will be yes. Will he therefore consider making extra, emergency resources available to the communities that are being hit? That would allow the Brick lane police station to remain open, for a limited time, for 24 hours a day.
Also, will my right hon. Friend visit my constituency, so that he can hear the concerns of local residents? If so, will it be possible to make that visit within the next 24 hours, perhaps? Finally, when will he bring forward a new race relations Act to ensure that the only thing that is nailed--in my constituency or anywhere else--are the profoundly undemocratic and unpatriotic forces of racism?
Mr. Straw:
On my hon. Friend's first point, at least the injuries suffered at Brick lane and Brixton are not on the scale of those incurred in Kosovo, but she is of course right to point out the link between the two sources of violence. That link is racism: people who hold such evil views decide that whole groups should be considered to be without human rights simply because of their skin colour or religion.
I shall of course raise with the Commissioner the question of resources for the Brick lane and Brixton areas, but so far he has not requested additional resources. My hon. Friend asked also about the Brick lane police station. In many parts of London, divisional police stations are open for 24 hours a day, while sector bases such as Brick lane police station are open for a limited number of hours each day. Up to now, that police station has been open for eight hours a day, and those hours have been publicised in the local community. However, I now understand that the base will be open for a minimum of 12 hours a day for the foreseeable future. I shall be happy to discussthe possibility of longer opening hours with the Commissioner.
My hon. Friend asked whether I would visit her constituency, and I plan to do so tomorrow. There are always questions about whether Ministers should visit the scenes of such crimes immediately. I discussed the matter with the Commissioner last Saturday following the first bomb outrage, and we jointly decided that it would inevitably detract from police efforts if I visited Brixton then. In my judgment, the fine balance to be struck was better struck when the local Member, my hon. Friend the Member for Vauxhall (Kate Hoey)--who happens also to be a Home Office Minister--visited the area to discuss the problems that had arisen following the outrage. It is similarly right that my hon. Friend the Member for Bethnal Green and Bow (Ms King) should take the lead following the outrage in her constituency.
My hon. Friend asked about a new race relations Act. She will know from my statement on the Lawrence report in February that we aim to legislate as quickly as possible, and I hope that that will happen next year.
Mr. A. J. Beith (Berwick-upon-Tweed):
Is the Home Secretary aware that there is revulsion throughout the country at the way in which these crimes have visited injury on ordinary families going about their Saturday activities? Does he recognise that minority communities--racial and religious--will want to see evidence of extra security and support around commercial centres, community buildings and places of worship during the coming days? Is he satisfied that the existing law on incitement to racial hatred is being used actively enough to deal with some of the literature that circulates and that may act as a kind of recruitment for people to help those who committed those terrible crimes?
Mr. Straw:
I join the right hon. Gentleman in his condemnation of the bombings. Considerable efforts are being made to give advice, support and guidance and to try to reduce risks in areas deemed vulnerable. However, as long as the people who committed these evil acts and others like them are at large, we cannot eliminate risk. We must be on our guard and we must be vigilant, but, at the same time, we must not panic and allow those people to achieve their aim of the disruption and dislocation of the communities in which they are carrying out their evil deeds.
As to the existing law on incitement, under the Public Order Act 1986, prosecutions for incitement to racial hatred require the agreement of the Attorney-General. My recollection is that about 45 prosecutions were authorised in the last period for which statistics are available. I have seen no evidence that there is a particular problem with the law on incitement, but there may be difficulties in the way in which the law is framed when it comes to evidence.
Certainly, there is a problem with incitement on the internet as its authors may come from outside our jurisdiction. We have actively considered that point, not least in the context of the G7-G8 agenda on the fight against organised and international crime.
Ms Diane Abbott (Hackney, North and Stoke Newington):
Is the Home Secretary aware of the great fear and concern that the two nail bomb attacks have provoked in black, Asian and Jewish communities? He will know that in addition to having one of the largest black communities in the country, my constituency has one of the largest, and oldest, Jewish communities. Is he aware that people up and down the country, whether in Bradford, Birmingham, Hackney or Willesden--black and Asian people--are wondering whether their community will be next? Is he aware of how much those communities welcome his strong stand on those outrageous attacks?
Mr. Straw:
I am grateful for what my hon. Friend has said. I am aware of the great fear in black, Asian and Jewish communities. It is particularly poignant that there have been repeated waves of immigration in the Brick lane area. Indeed, a building there was first a church, was then a synagogue and is now a mosque, illustrating the multiracial, multicultural nature of society in the area.
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