Contributions
1,991 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTopical QuestionsMay I express my condolences and deep sorrow to the family of my hon. Friend’s young constituent? He will know that we have increased the sentencing for driving offences, but I am…22 Nov 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsBecause of the backlog and some of the challenges we have faced, there have been difficulties. I have set out before the House some of the initiatives, from Operation Soteria to…22 Nov 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsThese kinds of cases are harrowing for the family. If the hon. Gentleman writes to me with further details, I will be very happy to look at them and report back to him.22 Nov 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsI understand the passion with which the hon. Gentleman spoke. We do not have current plans to do so, but if he wants to write to me on that issue I will, of course, look at it and…22 Nov 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right, and I thank her for her continued campaigning on this issue. It is worth saying, first, that around 45% of the private family law case backlog…22 Nov 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsI totally share the hon. Gentleman’s commitment and it is good to be able to address the issue on a cross-party basis. Earlier this year, we ran a call for evidence on SLAPPs…22 Nov 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe have relatively recently increased the sentences in relation to driving offences, but if the hon. Lady writes to me again about this harrowing case, I will look at it very…22 Nov 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsI thank and pay tribute to my hon. Friend for all his work on this issue and the considerable experience that he brings to bear. I read out the statistics and there is clearly…22 Nov 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe hon. Lady is absolutely right about this issue, which is one of the eight levers that we are pressing down on to improve outcomes and give victims the confidence to come…22 Nov 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsYes.22 Nov 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsCertainly I can give the hon. Gentleman and his constituents that assurance. Absconds are actually very rare now; they have fallen by nearly two thirds over the last decade, from…22 Nov 2022HANSARDCriminal Justice System: Support for VictimsIn May, we published our landmark draft Victims Bill and a wider package of measures to improve victims’ experience of the criminal justice system. We will respond to the Select…22 Nov 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsYes, and if the hon. Member writes to me with the details of his concerns, I would be happy to address them in more detail, on top of the assurances I have already provided to the…22 Nov 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsIf the hon. Lady writes to me with the details of that case, I will certainly ensure that she has a meeting with the most appropriate Minister.22 Nov 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy right hon. Friend and I worked together closely to increase sentences for the most serious crimes, and she is right about the impact of the Criminal Bar Association’s strike…22 Nov 2022HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe hon. Gentleman and I get on very constructively, but I have to tell him that we are not going to take lectures on standing up for victims from a party whose Members voted in…22 Nov 2022HANSARDCriminal Justice System: Support for VictimsI am afraid that the hon. Lady rather demeaned the important point that she was making by trying to score political points at the end. Let me answer directly: we appreciate the…22 Nov 2022HANSARDCriminal Justice System: Support for VictimsI will certainly ensure that my hon. Friend gets a meeting with the victims Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Charnwood (Edward Argar). I will not comment on…22 Nov 2022HANSARDCriminal Justice System: Support for VictimsThe hon. Gentleman knows that I cannot comment on individual judicial cases, but I understand the concern in such cases. Of course, if he wishes to write to me with the details, I…22 Nov 2022HANSARDViolence against Women and Girls: Reform of the Criminal Justice SystemThe Government are taking a range of measures to tackle violence against women and girls. The number of convictions in rape cases has increased by two thirds in the last reporting…22 Nov 2022