Letter from Minister Johnson to Public Bill Committee detailing government amendments for committee stage: 26 March 2025
Published 27 March 2025
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Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP
Minister of State for Policing and Crime Prevention
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
Sir Roger Gale MP, Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck MP and Mark Pritchard MP
Co-Chairs
Public Bill Committee
Crime and Policing Bill
House of Commons
26 March 2025
Dear Sir Roger, Emma and Mark,
Crime and Policing Bill: Government amendments for Committee
I am writing to provide members of the Public Bill Committee with details of a first tranche of government amendments which I have tabled today for Committee stage.
The amendments cover the following issues.
Respect Orders (amendments to clause 2 and Schedule 1)
Chapter 1 of Part 1 provides for the introduction of Respect Orders – civil court behavioural orders which will partially replace the civil injunction. A number of consequential amendments are required, including to the Housing Act 1998 to ensure that breaching a Respect Order continues to be a ground for a possession order under that Act, as is the case with the current civil inunction. As a consequence of the introduction of Respect Orders, the bill makes changes to the civil injunction regime in Part 1 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014; further consequential amendments are required to the 2014 Act and elsewhere as a result of those changes. These amendments apply to England and Wales.
Modern slavery (amendments to clauses 10, 17, 36, 37, 41, 42, 54, 73, 75, 134 and 135 and new clause “Terrorism offences excepted from defence for slavery or trafficking victims”)
The bill creates a number of new offences. These consequential amendments add twenty of these new offences (for example, those relating to child criminal exploitation and child sexual abuse image-generators) to Schedule 4 to the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Section 45 of that Act provides for a defence for slavery or trafficking victims in criminal proceedings; that defence does not apply in the case of certain serious offences as listed in Schedule 4 to the 2015 Act. In addition, in response to a recommendation from Jonathan Hall KC, the Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, in his 2021 report that Schedule 4 be extended “to encompass all terrorism offences” (see paragraphs 7.112-7.133), new clause “Terrorism offences excepted from defence for slavery or trafficking victims” adds additional existing terrorism-related offences to Schedule 4. These amendments apply to England and Wales.
I will write again when we table further amendments to later parts of the bill. I am copying this letter and enclosure to all members of the Public Bill Committee. Yours sincerely,
[Signed]
Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP
Minister of State for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention