Contributions
640 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDTackling SpikingThe hon. Lady is right to say that spiking is a form of violence against women. The data is irrefutable: the principal victims are young and predominantly women. It is a classic…18 Dec 2023HANSARDTackling SpikingWhat a brilliant idea! Of course I thank the local organisations that my hon. Friend mentions. This has been a collective effort. Perhaps representing Parliament is at its best…18 Dec 2023HANSARDTackling SpikingI am rapidly doing the maths, and it looks as though the scale of the problem in Northern Ireland is at the same level as it is everywhere else in the country. I will make a note…18 Dec 2023HANSARDTackling SpikingI pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who has been really vocal on this issue and deserves credit for everything she has done on it. She made two excellent points. The first was about…18 Dec 2023HANSARDTackling SpikingI can provide my hon. Friend with that reassurance. The critical part of our response today is that we are working at every single level from the barman to the bouncer to the…18 Dec 2023HANSARDTackling SpikingToday will see the publication of the Government statutory report on the nature and prevalence of spiking in accordance with section 71(1) of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and…18 Dec 2023HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Third sitting)Q But even in that 1%, would it not have a corrosive effect on public trust if an officer took the decision and then would not have been authorised? Nick Smart: There is always…14 Dec 2023HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Third sitting)That is really helpful. Thank you very much, Mr Smart.14 Dec 2023HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Third sitting)Q Can I ask you a follow-up question? If you remove the need for a warrant, do you not think that it is important to have some form of safeguard before the door is opened? Nick…14 Dec 2023HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Third sitting)Councillor Woolley, given your role, do you have a view on that? Councillor Sue Woolley: I think we have to be very careful that we do not unnecessarily criminalise rough…14 Dec 2023HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Third sitting)Q To pin you down a bit more—please, any of you jump in—do you think there is a distinction between nuisance begging and nuisance rough sleeping? They are treated differently in…14 Dec 2023HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Third sitting)Q I want to pick up on the repeal of the Vagrancy Act again. It is an ambition of this Bill to fill the gap that would otherwise be left by that Act, by addressing the nuisance…14 Dec 2023HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Third sitting)Q Thank you. That is very helpful. My final question is for Ms Spurrell—I have not asked her anything yet—and is about antisocial behaviour and the new power for a victim who is…14 Dec 2023HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Third sitting)Thank you; that is very helpful.14 Dec 2023HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Third sitting)Q Mr Lloyd, I want to go back to what you were saying at the beginning about your role in relation to the police—in standing up for victims. With the new powers that are extended…14 Dec 2023HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Third sitting)Q What about bringing the age limit down to bring in children of 10, up to adulthood? Nick Smart: Again, it relates to the accountability for everybody’s actions. It is not just…14 Dec 2023HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Third sitting)That is in the Sentencing Bill. Mark Fairhurst: Usually, they get released at the two-thirds point for good behaviour. If there is no incentive to behave in prison, that could…14 Dec 2023HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Fourth sitting)Q I wanted to ask about the various forms of suspended account and suspended account schemes, which appear in schedule 5 to the Act to complement the confiscation provisions. Will…14 Dec 2023HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Third sitting)Q I think that is under consideration, actually. I do not know whether you have experience of this, but I wanted to ask you about the fact that, certainly in the public…14 Dec 2023HANSARDCriminal Justice Bill (Fourth sitting)Q As a barrister, what do you think the kind of practical benefits of the confiscation measures will be? Kennedy Talbot: Do you mean as they stand?14 Dec 2023