Contributions
995 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDWork of the County Court: Government ResponseI thank my hon. and learned Friend the Minister for the fact that the Government have accepted the vast majority of the recommendations, as I have already put on the record.…23 Oct 2025HANSARDWork of the County Court: Government ResponseFirst, I am delighted to see the hon. Gentleman in his place. I thank him for his interest in the subject and for his question, to which my response is yes. I hope our work is…23 Oct 2025HANSARDWork of the County Court: Government ResponseA fundamental review was attempted under the last Government, which involved closing many county courts around the country. We were told that the money released from the sale of…23 Oct 2025HANSARDHeathrow: National Airports ReviewCan the Secretary of State confirm that this is not a done deal? As part of the ANPS review process, will there be a full and independent analysis of the economic costs and…22 Oct 2025HANSARD Sentencing BillI am not going to give way again, because I am taking too much time. I agree with the right hon. Gentleman that this is a difficult process to manage. That is why this Bill was…21 Oct 2025HANSARD Sentencing BillI have quite a lot to say about recall, which I will come to in a moment, but I have reflected on this question. Licence is an established part of the criminal justice system, as…21 Oct 2025HANSARD Sentencing BillI am delighted that my friend is still taking a strong interest in these matters and remains on the Justice Committee, even though he no longer has his Front-Bench…21 Oct 2025HANSARD Sentencing BillI do agree with that, and in a moment I will talk about a new clause that deals specifically with tagging. I am rattling through my speech because I have a lot to get through, but…21 Oct 2025HANSARD Sentencing BillIt means that I will listen very carefully, not only to what the hon. Member says but to what the Government say. I know that the Government are unlikely to accept new clause 19,…21 Oct 2025HANSARD Sentencing BillAs I did at the start of my speech on Second Reading, I put on record the continuing crisis in our prisons. The prison population currently stands at 87,427, with usable…21 Oct 2025HANSARD Sentencing BillWe have to do something about recall and do it now. The number of prisoners on recall has more than doubled over the seven-year period from March 2018 to 2025. It was 6,000 then…21 Oct 2025HANSARDAlleged Spying Case: Home Office InvolvementThe Chair of the Home Affairs Committee, the right hon. Member for Staffordshire Moorlands (Dame Karen Bradley), and other relevant Select Committee Chairs, including me, have met…20 Oct 2025HANSARD Criminal Courts: Independent ReviewIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairship this afternoon, Mr Efford. I am grateful to the right hon. and learned Member for Kenilworth and Southam (Sir Jeremy Wright) for…14 Oct 2025HANSARD Security Update: Official Secrets Act CaseThe Government have made it clear that they regret the fact that this case is not going ahead. The Minister rightly says that the CPS acts independently when making charging…13 Oct 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am sure the Lord Chancellor has read Baroness Harman’s independent review of bullying, harassment and sexual harassment at the Bar and on the bench, which was published last…16 Sept 2025HANSARD Sentencing BillThe right hon. Member is not easily confused. I will turn to exactly that point later, but in brief it is both, and there is a contradiction in it being both. There is going to be…16 Sept 2025HANSARD Sentencing BillPrisons in England and Wales are almost at capacity. The prison population currently stands at 87,578, with a current operational capacity of 89,664. The latest prison population…16 Sept 2025HANSARD Sentencing BillThat is a valid concern. Ministers assure us that performance on the contract is improving in exactly those areas, but we are not just waiting for that improvement; we are…16 Sept 2025HANSARDProbation ServiceI welcome my right hon. Friend back to his rightful place. I remember being a junior shadow Minister under him—I will try to be less deferential in my current role. My right hon.…16 Sept 2025HANSARDCourt BacklogLast year, 446 Crown court trials were ineffective because the prosecutor failed to attend. Given that the Government are getting to grips with the backlog they inherited by…04 Sept 2025