Contributions
2,978 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Third sitting)Q Thank you. Would you agree that the historical involvement of the Parole Board in offering the possibility of early release does not really have any meaningful impact on…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)I thank the shadow Minister for his detailed exposition of some of the risks that we must seek to navigate and overcome. For justice to function, we must make sure that it is…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)Let me come on to that point, which is the substance of the amendment. The amendment calls for an assessment prior to the clause coming into effect; it does not ask for an…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)Where there are concerns of the nature of those raised in the Lammy review, which I think the shadow Minister or the hon. Member for Coventry North West mentioned earlier, the…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)Recent events obviously tell us how important it is to maintain social cohesion and confidence in the criminal justice system. The hon. Gentleman raises a point that goes far…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)On the specific question of amendment 36 to clause 1 and amendment 42 to clause 21, which call for an impact assessment prior to the commencement of those clauses, I repeat what I…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)I apologise; I did not realise that the hon. Gentleman was trying to intervene. Had I realised, I would, of course, have given way.30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)We touched on many of the purposes of clause 1 in our debate on amendments 35 and 36. Very briefly, clause 1 seeks to give judges the power to make a factual finding after…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)I will speak to the amendments relating to younger offenders. There are a couple of things to be clear about first of all. For the sake of absolute clarity, offenders who are…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)The cohort that I have described are dangerous, have been found to be dangerous by a judge following a pre-sentence report and have tried to kill multiple people. With this very…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)In my response to the amendment, I described the effect of the clause and the tests to be applied. If those tests are met, the minimum sentence of 14 years will be imposed,…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)The shadow Minister posed a question: why a maximum of 25 years? Therein lies the answer.30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)Clause 6 has the same operative effect as clause 5 has in relation to England and Wales. Question put and agreed to. Clause 6 accordingly ordered to stand part of the Bill.…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)Clause 8 relates to a reduction to the minimum custodial term for a serious terrorist sentence where the offender makes a guilty plea at the earliest opportunity. Ordinarily, when…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)Clause 9 has the same effect as the one we have just discussed, but in relation to Scotland. Question put and agreed to. Clause 9 accordingly ordered to stand part of the Bill.…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Third sitting)I understand, although, of course, if they step over the criminal threshold, they will be prosecuted. Equally, there is no value in people pretending to engage with…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)Clause 10 provides for the court to apply a reduction to the custodial term for a serious terrorist sentence in England and Wales from the 14-year minimum in cases where the…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for East Lothian for his constructive comments at the beginning of his speech. As the shadow Minister said, in many respects the work on the Bill…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)We have covered many of the operative provisions. They are rather similar to the ones we debated in clause 4, in relation to people under the age of 21. Question put and agreed…30 Jun 2020HANSARDCounter-Terrorism and Sentencing Bill (Fourth sitting)No, it is a maximum. The licence period is between seven and 25 years; within that, the judge has discretion to choose the most appropriate length of time. The point that I was…30 Jun 2020