HC Deb 13 September 2004 vol 424 c1405W
Mr. Woodward

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further proposals the Government have to extend the powers of the criminal justice system to prevent hate crimes. [186872]

Fiona Mactaggart

My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced in his speech to the Institute for Public Policy Research Institute on 7 July that as soon as the legislative opportunity arose the Government proposed extending the existing incitement to racial hatred laws, contained in the Public Order Act 1986, by creating a new offence of incitement to religious hatred.