Contributions
2,978 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSerious Criminal Cases BacklogI would point out that 230 is the number happening as we speak; in the weeks leading up to Christmas, the average was more like 275. In relation to the number of trials over the…20 Jan 2021HANSARDSerious Criminal Cases BacklogI thank my hon. Friend, who of course has a distinguished background in this field himself, for his question. We do intend to continue rolling out the use of video and remote…20 Jan 2021HANSARDSerious Criminal Cases BacklogI do not accept the hon. Lady’s criticism. Travel times to courts before and after the programme that she mentions were very little different. As I said, due to the actions that…20 Jan 2021HANSARDSerious Criminal Cases BacklogI have such a choice to choose from! Yes, I join my hon. Friend in paying tribute to the legal profession and the judiciary for the work they have done in these difficult…20 Jan 2021HANSARDSerious Criminal Cases BacklogI agree with the hon. Gentleman. There is an issue with, for example, the charging and prosecution of rape cases in particular, which predates the pandemic. There is a problem and…20 Jan 2021HANSARDSerious Criminal Cases BacklogThe measures taken to make sure our courts are covid-safe have been assessed and signed off by Public Health England and Public Health Wales, which are the appropriate…20 Jan 2021HANSARDSerious Criminal Cases BacklogI know my hon. Friend has a long and distinguished history serving on the bench as a magistrate, so I would like to publicly recognise that and I join him in extending my warm and…20 Jan 2021HANSARDSerious Criminal Cases BacklogMy hon. Friend makes an extremely good point. We are very concerned about these cases and that is why we are spending a great deal of extra money—as I say, next year, an…20 Jan 2021HANSARDSerious Criminal Cases BacklogI thank my hon. Friend, the Chair of the Justice Committee, for his question. He is of course right: we need to have sustained levels of disposals exceeding receipts. We got there…20 Jan 2021HANSARDSerious Criminal Cases BacklogThe covid pandemic is truly unprecedented. It has affected every corner of our lives; from hospital operations delayed, to schools closed, to businesses struggling and even to how…20 Jan 2021HANSARDSerious Criminal Cases BacklogThe shadow Justice Secretary referred to the number of cases outstanding in the magistrates courts: 460,000. What he neglected to mention to the House was that, after the first…20 Jan 2021HANSARD Immigration Rules: Supported AccommodationOn the Select Committee Chair’s question about accommodation and support, I can confirm that it will be available, as I have said already, because not to provide it would breach…16 Dec 2020HANSARD Immigration Rules: Supported AccommodationMy hon. Friend is right: speeding up the decision making is in everybody’s interests. It will mean that fewer people will need to be accommodated, it will be good for those people…16 Dec 2020HANSARD Immigration Rules: Supported AccommodationIt is not a hostile environment. The accommodation meets the required standards. As I explained in my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Kensington (Felicity Buchan), we are…16 Dec 2020HANSARD Immigration Rules: Supported AccommodationI thank my hon. Friend and Stoke-on-Trent for their work to welcome genuine refugees, including work under the resettlement programme. He raises a good point, because some parts…16 Dec 2020HANSARD Immigration Rules: Supported AccommodationMy hon. Friend is quite right that hotels are being used in central London and, indeed, in other cities. That is a consequence of the very short-term pressures created by…16 Dec 2020HANSARD Immigration Rules: Supported AccommodationLet me reassure the shadow Minister on one or two points. She concluded her questions by asking about the risk of destitution. To be clear, if somebody who is in the inadmissible…16 Dec 2020HANSARD Immigration Rules: Supported AccommodationFirst, as I have said, the people in this cohort will not be in limbo, because after a reasonable period, if no return to another country is possible, the asylum claim will be…16 Dec 2020HANSARD Immigration Rules: Supported AccommodationI thank my right hon. Friend, who has a distinguished legal background, for his question. He is absolutely right: we need to deter these crossings, and we need to ensure that our…16 Dec 2020HANSARD Immigration Rules: Supported AccommodationMy hon. Friend is right: the measures in this set of rules are only a first step. The asylum and immigration system has far more systematic and fundamental problems that cause it,…16 Dec 2020