Question
I speak regularly to victims of crime and their families in Harlow, and I find some of their stories absolutely heartbreaking. I feel really angry that there are men in our society who think it is okay to treat women in the way they do, and I am sure that people across the House feel the same way. One thing that victims and their families raise with me is their concern about how easy it is for perpetrators—these vile individuals—to take their tags off. What can the Minister say about the punishment that will be handed down to those individuals who tamper with their tags or try to take them off?
Answer
I share my hon. Friend’s anger. Since taking on this role, I have felt very angry not just with some of the perpetrators and the cases that we see come across our desks, but with the 14 years of failure that left us in the situation we are in. We are working at pace to improve the technology and the application of the tagging system. [ Interruption. ] The Conservatives chunter from the Opposition Benches, but they wasted £100 million on tags that did not work. We are working to ensure that this scheme is effective, and we are working at pace to pick up the pieces that were left behind.50% point-scoring 25% vibes
Verdict: RED (8/100)
The question asked what punishment applies to people who tamper with or remove their electronic tags. The reply did not answer this. It condemned those responsible and described the department's work to improve the tagging technology and how it is applied, but it gave no information on penalties, sentencing, or other consequences for tampering. A member of the public would not learn from this reply what happens to someone who tampers with a tag, so they would likely need to ask again.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| What punishment will be handed down to individuals who tamper with, or attempt to remove, their monitoring tags? | Not Addressed | Generic | The question asks what punishment applies to people who tamper with or remove their tags, but the reply only expresses anger at perpetrators and says the department is improving the technology and application of the tagging system, with no mention of penalties, sentencing, or consequences for tampering. |