Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-01-13-Speech-1-104"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2003-01-13"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Basic rights in the EU (2001)2
dcterms:Language	"en"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20030113.6.1-104"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2003-01-13-Speech-1-1052
lpv:speaker	lp:Robert Evans2
lpv:spoken text	"Mr President, first of all I would like to apologise to the rapporteur that I was unable to be here at the beginning. I have only just arrived in the Parliament because of delays. I welcome the fact that we are able to have a debate on the fundamental rights within the European Union. It is very important, particularly when we are urging the applicant countries – and indeed countries which are not yet applicant countries – to address certain issues, that we should be prepared to look openly at ourselves. Having said that, I regret some of the statements made in the report criticising the United Kingdom and other countries, on matters to which there are no easy answers. I refer particularly to the points about asylum and immigration with regard to the United Kingdom, which is not perfect on these issues, but which is faced with a real challenge. This is not an easy situation. The United Kingdom, along with many other countries within Europe, has many applicants for asylum, and there are large numbers of people on the move, seeking to migrate from one country to the other. We need to work towards a common European asylum policy. When this is in place, we will be able to make certain that not just the fifteen Member States, but twenty-five countries, have policies that are working and are fair to the countries themselves and to applicants. The report contains references (at second hand) to prison facilities in the United Kingdom and indeed in other Member States. However, it is very difficult to spend huge amounts of money on prisons when there are demands from other areas. It is indeed a mark of a civilised country that it takes its prison service seriously, and all allegations in the United Kingdom, and I imagine in other countries, against malpractice or cruelty in prisons are properly investigated. The same is true of the police service, and the British police take seriously any allegations of malpractice or racism by police officers. It is right that we are able to have this debate, it is right that these issues are being brought to our attention, but I do not believe that the United Kingdom should be singled out any more than other countries."@en1
lpv:spokenAs	unknown; Labour Party (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Committee on Development and Cooperation (2002-09-24--2004-07-19)3 vice-chair; Committee on Citizens' Freedoms and Rights, Justice and Home Affairs (2002-01-21--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (2002-01-30--2004-07-19)3 member; PES (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 member; Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia and the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3 substitute; Delegation to the EU-Romania Joint Parliamentary Committee (2002-02-07--2004-07-19)3
lpv:unclassifiedMetadata	"Evans, Robert J.E. (PSE )."1

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