§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he has taken to consult on how best to tackle religious hate crime and sectarian hatred as an aggravating factor in a range of criminal offences; and what steps he will take to ensure an independent and lay dimension to his review. [29942]
§ Mr. BrowneI intend to consult shortly on how best to tackle the problems of offending motivated either by racial or religious hatred in Northern Ireland. I understand that an evaluation of the provisions in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, which created categories of racially aggravated offences, is soon to be published, and would like participants in the consultation exercise to be able to draw on the findings in that evaluation when considering their responses. In order to ensure the broadest scope of opinions for consideration, the consultation exercise will include as wide a range of participants as possible, including organisations and individuals working in the statutory, non-statutory and voluntary sectors.