Call for written evidence: Public Order Bill
25 May 2022
Do you have relevant expertise and experience or a special interest in the Public Order Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament?
If so, you can submit your views in writing to the House of Commons Public Bill Committee which is going to consider this Bill.
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The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration. The Public Bill Committee will scrutinise the Bill line by line. The first sitting of the Public Bill Committee is expected to be on Thursday 9 June and the Committee is scheduled to report by Tuesday 21 June. However, please note that when the Committee concludes its consideration of the Bill it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it can conclude earlier than the expected deadline of 5.00pm on Tuesday 21 June. You are strongly advised to submit your written evidence as soon as possible. |
Aims of the Bill
The Bill would bring in three major changes to the way protests are policed in England and Wales:
- Expanding protest-related offences: the Bill would introduce four new criminal offences related to disruptive protest including “locking-on”; being equipped to “lock-on”; obstructing major transport works; and interfering with key national infrastructure.
- Extending police stop and search powers: the Bill would provide the police with new powers (both suspicion-led and suspicionless) to stop and search people for items related to specified protest-related offences.
- Introducing a new preventative court order: the Bill would create Serious Disruption Prevention Orders aimed at people who repeatedly engage in disruptive protest activity. The orders would be issued with conditions to prevent individuals from being in particular places or with particular people or from participating in certain activities.
Follow the progress of the Public Order Bill
The Public Order Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 11 May 2022. Second reading was held on 23 May 2022. Oral evidence sessions are expected to be held on 9 June 2022.
- Bills before Parliament: Public Order Bill
- Read Explanatory Notes: Public Order Bill
- House of Commons Library Briefing Paper
Guidance on submitting written evidence
Deadline for written evidence submissions
The Public Bill Committee is now able to receive written evidence. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration and possibly reflect it in an amendment. The order in which amendments are taken in Committee will be available in due course under Selection of Amendments on the Bill documents pages. Once the Committee has dealt with an amendment it will not revisit it.
The first sitting of the Public Bill Committee is expected to be on Thursday 9 June and the Committee is scheduled to report by Tuesday 21 June. However, please note that when the Committee concludes its consideration of the Bill it is no longer able to receive written evidence and it can conclude earlier than the expected deadline of 5.00pm on Tuesday 21 June. You are strongly advised to submit your written evidence as soon as possible.
Your submission should be emailed to scrutiny@parliament.uk
Further guidance on submitting written evidence can be found here.
Image: Parliamentary Copyright