Contributions
1,118 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Eleventh sitting)No, it is not the same at all. If the hon. Lady will listen for a moment, the point is that there is, on the face of a statute, a defence that the jury can consider. They get to…17 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Eleventh sitting)I thank the hon. Lady for making that incredibly important point. When somebody is prosecuted by the Office of the Immigration Services Commissioner, it is a serious issue of…17 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Tenth sitting)I have. I am perfectly prepared to accept that no organisation always works precisely as one might like. That is inevitably the case, but I am not suggesting that that is my usual…16 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Ninth sitting)It is once again a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Ms Buck. I thank colleagues for those helpful and powerful contributions. I want to begin my remarks by echoing a…16 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Ninth sitting)I invite the hon. Gentleman to listen carefully to what I say in due course, and I hope that he will not be unhappy—16 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Ninth sitting)Disappointed—thank you. Do you want to make the speech? The concern with the new clauses, among other things, is that they do not necessarily replicate the dictum in Brown. To…16 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Ninth sitting)What I can say, from my experience in court, is that it is not unusual for the press to seek to overturn reporting restrictions where they are imposed at the discretion of the…16 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Ninth sitting)I hear what the hon. Gentleman has said, and I leave it where it stands. I understand and I agree. I turn to new clauses 6 and 7. Those who have argued passionately in respect of…16 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Ninth sitting)There are, in fact, formal arrangements in both spheres. Family liaison officers have to operate within certain guidance, and in my experience, by and large, they do so extremely…16 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Ninth sitting)The hon. Lady is absolutely right that of course it is not open to a journalist to seek to displace the reporting restrictions that have been imposed by force of statute. I was…16 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Tenth sitting)I think the notes say that you wish to withdraw the new clause.16 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Tenth sitting)May I begin by thanking the hon. Member for Birmingham, Yardley for a characteristically forceful argument? At the start, I acknowledge this: non-fatal strangulation is a wicked…16 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Tenth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for Edinburgh West for the exposition of her new clause and the way she did it, which was of real assistance to the Committee and certainly to me. Again, I…16 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Eighth sitting)Courts have a common law discretion to manage their own proceedings, but it will be important for us to assist the them as much as possible by setting out the categories that…11 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Eighth sitting)I am delighted to see you in the Chair once again, Ms Buck. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Hertford and Stortford for her excellent contribution. It speaks to the strength…11 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Eighth sitting)I invite the hon. Lady to listen to the end of my remarks. If I can put it in these terms, the words I will use at the end are carefully phrased. I invite her to listen to those…11 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Eighth sitting)The hon. Lady must have a copy of my speech, because I will come to that point in just a moment. The directions that a civil court can make include, but are not limited to, giving…11 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Eighth sitting)Clause 61 extends the jurisdiction of the criminal courts in Northern Ireland in the same terms as clause 60 extends the jurisdiction of the criminal courts in England and Wales.…11 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Eighth sitting)Before turning to the specific point, I listened carefully to what the hon. Member for Hove said, and it was clear that he has taken a close interest in the issue. I thank him for…11 Jun 2020HANSARDDomestic Abuse Bill (Eighth sitting)Yes, I am confident, but it goes back to the earlier point that we were making about culture. If, by dint of the legislation, the family judges, when deciding whether to make one…11 Jun 2020