§ David WinnickTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the enforcement of the law on incitement to race hatred. [34076]
§ Angela EagleThe enforcement of the law on the incitement to racial hatred is an operational matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. The Government, while not involved in individual cases, have urged the police and the CPS to work more closely together on these cases and to pool experience relating to the sometimes complex issues surrounding incitement to racial hatred.
The Government have also strengthened the law on incitement to racial hatred. The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 extended the scope of the offences to hatred directed against members of racial groups outside Great Britain and increased the maximum penalty for the offences from two to seven years imprisonment.