Contributions
995 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDProgression of Bills through ParliamentI am coming to that. I will not take up all my time, because I suspect that we all know each other’s minds on this matter and are unlikely to change them. We need another vote so…08 Jun 2026HANSARD Family Justice System: Domestic Abuse and SafeguardingIt is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Ms Furniss. I congratulate the hon. Member for Wokingham (Clive Jones) on securing this important debate. May I also congratulate the…21 May 2026HANSARD Family Justice System: Domestic Abuse and SafeguardingI am grateful for that intervention. Many Members here will have local organisations that they help to signpost, champion and try to obtain funding for. What I am arguing for is…21 May 2026HANSARDFamily CourtsOne of the successes of the family justice system is the family mediation voucher scheme. Two thirds of families who use the scheme avoid going to court, which takes a lot of…19 May 2026HANSARDBacking Business to Create Economic GrowthThat was a bit off-subject, so I will confine my comments to saying that, as usual, we are all disappointed by the official Opposition. We will leave it at that. Fortunately, the…18 May 2026HANSARDBacking Business to Create Economic GrowthIt is a bit early, but all right.18 May 2026HANSARDBacking Business to Create Economic GrowthWhat an abrupt end that was. What a cliff-hanger! I want to speak briefly about the justice measures in the King’s Speech. Important Bills are being introduced or carried over,…18 May 2026HANSARD Youth JusticeI welcome the White Paper, which shines a welcome light on an often-neglected part of the criminal justice system. The remarkable drop in the number of young people in custody,…18 May 2026HANSARDBacking Business to Create Economic GrowthI thank my hon. Friend and constituency neighbour for her intervention, and the answer is that there is a balance. We all want the Government to press on with all the wonderful…18 May 2026HANSARD Hammersmith BridgeIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship today, Sir Alec, not least because you have allowed me the privilege of speaking although I was a couple of minutes late. I was…21 Apr 2026HANSARD Knife CrimeI thank the Minister for agreeing to meet me and members of the safer knives group, which brings together experts on the type of knives most commonly used in knife crime. Does she…14 Apr 2026HANSARD Prison Officers: Mandatory Body ArmourIt is a pleasure to talk about this very important matter under your chairmanship, Mr Betts. I suspect there will be quite a degree of agreement across the House. The first thing…26 Mar 2026HANSARD Prison Officers: Mandatory Body ArmourI thank my right hon. Friend for all the work that he and other Members present do in supporting the POA and making sure that its voice is heard. It is often the case with prisons…26 Mar 2026HANSARD Court and Tribunal TranscriptsI almost wanted to have a bet on who would mention AI first in this debate. AI is always said to be the solution, but for once it might be. Everything that the hon. Member is…23 Mar 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals BillAt her annual press conference this week, the Lady Chief Justice, Baroness Carr, said: “I have grave security concerns if there are going to be judge-alone trials.” Does the…19 Mar 2026HANSARDViolence against Women and GirlsI know that Members from all parts of the House support the Government’s aim to halve violence against women and girls. The metric on which that is based, the crime survey for…17 Mar 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsI have noticed there is a lot of debate on the role of juries at the moment—nothing gets past me. It might be a better informed debate if the researchers and jurors could talk…17 Mar 2026HANSARD Grenfell Tower Memorial (Expenditure) BillThe Grenfell Tower fire was a momentous as well as a tragic event. It fundamentally changed the way we look at fire safety, social housing and the emergency services. Most of all,…16 Mar 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals BillThe number of outstanding cases in the Crown court is 79,619. The outgoing Conservative Government promised to reduce the backlog; it should have been 53,000 by April last year.…10 Mar 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals BillNot yet; I am conscious of the time. The removal of the right to elect for either way offences in clause 1 is the single most significant measure in reducing the caseload of the…10 Mar 2026