Contributions
1,118 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCourt Delays: Covid-19The hon. Lady is absolutely right to raise this point, and I am grateful to her for doing so. We take this extremely seriously. Of the £76 million that we allocated to victims’…03 Nov 2020HANSARDCourt Delays: Covid-19We continue to make significant progress on criminal courts’ recovery. Since August, magistrates courts have consistently completed more cases than they are receiving. In the…03 Nov 2020HANSARDAccess to JusticeThe hon. Gentleman is absolutely right that ensuring access to justice is of fundamental importance, which is why, when we saw that the law centres, for example, were going to…03 Nov 2020HANSARDAccess to JusticeI pay tribute to the staff of Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service whom I had the privilege of meeting when I went to Isleworth Crown court. It is the staff who are keeping…03 Nov 2020HANSARDAccess to JusticeI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his question, but I hope he will welcome the fact that this Government are recruiting an additional 20,000 police officers. It is those…03 Nov 2020HANSARDAccess to JusticeAccess to justice is a fundamental right and the Government are committed to ensuring that individuals can get the timely support that they need to access the justice system. In…03 Nov 2020HANSARDMinistry of Justice: Legal Aid SpendingIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms McDonagh. I congratulate the Chair of the Justice Committee, my hon. Friend the Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Sir…22 Oct 2020HANSARDLord Chancellor’s Oath and the Rule of LawIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg, and to respond to a debate back here in Westminster Hall. I congratulate the hon. and learned Member for Edinburgh…14 Oct 2020HANSARD Private International Law (Implementation of Agreements) Bill [Lords]Just in the nick of time.06 Oct 2020HANSARD Private International Law (Implementation of Agreements) Bill [Lords]If I may respectfully say so, that is an excellent point. That is one of the reasons why we seek to frame things this way. One of the points my hon. Friend made most powerfully is…06 Oct 2020HANSARD Private International Law (Implementation of Agreements) Bill [Lords]I thank my hon. Friend for raising that point. There is no doubt that the CRaG process is evolving and maturing. Proper points have been made about the need to consider it and how…06 Oct 2020HANSARD Private International Law (Implementation of Agreements) Bill [Lords]It was a great pleasure to listen to the powerful advocacy of the right hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr Lammy). Unfortunately, on this occasion, I am unable to agree with him, but…06 Oct 2020HANSARD Private International Law (Implementation of Agreements) Bill [Lords]Ultimately, my hon. Friend cannot have it both ways. If we accept that it is not contentious, it is important that the mechanisms that are in place are proportionate to that.…06 Oct 2020HANSARD Private International Law (Implementation of Agreements) Bill [Lords]But the point is that when we were in the European Union and the European Union had competence to enter into PIL agreements, those would be brought into effect in the United…06 Oct 2020HANSARD Private International Law (Implementation of Agreements) Bill [Lords]I beg to move, That the Bill be now read the Third time. Let me start by thanking all the right hon., hon. and, in particular, learned Members in all parts of the House for their…06 Oct 2020HANSARDCriminal Justice System: Covid-19The Government are determined that victims should receive the help and support they need to cope and recover during the pandemic. In addition to existing funding, the Government…22 Sept 2020HANSARDCriminal Legal AidI hugely value the work of criminal defence lawyers, who play a vital role in upholding the rule of law, testing prosecution evidence and ensuring that the innocent walk free. To…22 Sept 2020HANSARDCriminal Legal AidMy hon. Friend raises an important point. We want criminal law and criminal defence to be an attractive, sustainable profession, which is why we put £23 million into the…22 Sept 2020HANSARDCriminal Legal AidMy hon. Friend makes a crucial point. Anyone in this Chamber could be accused of a crime they have not committed, and we need to ensure that there are lawyers who can take on the…22 Sept 2020HANSARDCriminal Legal AidI particularly thank my hon. Friend, who has been such a powerful champion of criminal defence. He is absolutely right. It has to be a system that offers rates that are attractive…22 Sept 2020