Contributions
995 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCourts 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 2026HANSARDCourt Reporting DataIt is a pity that the shadow Minister is reducing this issue to one of his conspiracy theories, because I know that the Minister is an advocate of open justice, and the Government…10 Feb 2026HANSARDJury TrialsNow we have Sir Brian Leveson’s full review, it is clear that very few of the 180 recommendations relate to jury trials. The most controversial is really the use of a single judge…05 Feb 2026HANSARDWater BillsDoes the Minister have plans to introduce a national social tariff? It was not in the recent White Paper, but Independent Age, which is a national charity based in my…05 Feb 2026HANSARD Occupied Palestinian Territories: Genocide Risk AssessmentGiven what Minister said about adherence to international law, will he just put on the record why the Government have not responded to the advisory opinion of the ICJ for over 18…05 Feb 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe Secretary of State will shortly make a statement on violence in separation centres. I apologise that I will not be here for it as the Select Committee has a long-planned court…03 Feb 2026HANSARDChanges to Jury TrialsThere is a lot of focus on replacing juries with a single judge in some criminal trials, but the Government also intend to increase magistrates’ sentencing powers, so that they…03 Feb 2026HANSARD Prison Capacity: Annual StatementThe prison population is comprised in significant part of cohorts of prisoners who, for a variety of reasons, should not be there in current numbers. That includes prisoners…29 Jan 2026HANSARDWater White PaperLast night, a 30-inch water main burst at Holland Park roundabout on the boundary of my constituency and that of my hon. Friend the Member for Kensington and Bayswater (Joe…21 Jan 2026HANSARDSentencing BillI apologise that I was not here for the Minister’s opening speech; I was chairing the Justice Committee. I do not think that matters, though, because I agree with him on the…20 Jan 2026HANSARD Prisons: Illegal DrugsFirst, I am pleased that my hon. Friends are making links with their prisons. I hope all Members who have a prison will visit it regularly; I had the Scrubs in my patch for 20…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Prisons: Illegal DrugsI thank the Backbench Business Committee for allocating time for me to make a statement on behalf of the Justice Committee on the Government’s response to the Committee’s sixth…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Prisons: Illegal DrugsThis is my hon. Friend’s area of expertise. I mentioned the recommendations of Dame Carol Black, who is widely recognised as one of the best experts in this area; successive…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Prisons: Illegal DrugsAs always, the hon. Gentleman gets to the heart of the matter. That statistic he quoted for the number of people who develop a drug habit in prison—they go in there clean, and…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Prisons: Illegal DrugsI am glad that my hon. Friend has seen some progress being made at HMP Wandsworth, and today we have the publication of the independent investigation there. Staff are working…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Prisons: Illegal DrugsWhere prisoners are caught taking drugs through testing—we have said that we want testing increased—they need to be punished, but they also need to be offered treatment. We called…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Prisons: Illegal DrugsLike the hon. Member for Solihull West and Shirley (Dr Shastri-Hurst), my hon. Friend is a very active member of the Committee, and I thank him for making that point. A lot of…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Prisons: Illegal DrugsI think it is particularly demoralising for prison staff and governors to see drones coming and going almost casually. The point I often make is that if this was happening around…15 Jan 2026HANSARD Prisons: Illegal DrugsAgain, I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who is also a very assiduous member of the Committee, and I want to finish on a positive note. In this report, we inevitably concentrated…15 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsI am coming on to that. The number of sitting days has already increased substantially in comparison with what the last Government did, and I think that it should increase…07 Jan 2026