Contributions
179 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fifth sitting)I think the hon. Member is saying this is a balancing exercise. It is about having a fair trial, but one that is equipped within our criminal justice system. That is exactly what…16 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Third sitting)Is the hon. Gentleman saying two different things? At the start, I heard him say that we have fairness across the whole criminal justice system, but he seems now to be suggesting…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)It is the case.14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)On that point, will the hon. Member give way?14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)Clause 2 relates to measures that have not come into force yet, so my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull East cannot possibly have any experience of that.14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)Mr Guest was giving evidence to the Justice Committee in his capacity on behalf of the CPS. He was talking with authority from the CPS, on the organisation’s behalf, on its…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Third sitting)It is right that we should talk about language. I refer the hon. Member to guidance on the CPS website in relation to the use of the term “victim”. In its guidance, the CPS says…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Third sitting)Yes, that is correct; I was a Crown prosecutor for 21 years, and I worked all the way through the terrible, terrible years when the Conservative Government were absolutely ripping…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)On that point, will the hon. Member give way?14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Third sitting)But they are magistrates.14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Third sitting)May I refer the hon. Member to the fact that the youth courts often deal with cases of this nature? They have sentencing powers of up to two years. Would the hon. Member suggest…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Third sitting)We have heard a lot about the Bar Council and the Law Society. What we have not heard a lot about is the position of the Crown Prosecution Service on this point. If the Crown…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Fourth sitting)On a point of order, Ms Butler. I seek guidance on how we get back to clause 2, because we have veered off significantly from it. Clause 2 relates to provisions that have not yet…14 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Second sitting)Is it not the case that magistrates courts can be more agile in terms of court listing and picking up cases, like we heard from the Canadian—25 Mar 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Second sitting)Q Thank you. Tom Guest, one of the directors at the CPS, recently gave evidence to the Justice Committee. He said: “Our view is that we have gone far beyond the point where…25 Mar 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Second sitting)Q On the practicalities of jury trials, you talked about the time savings of having judge-only trials over jury trials. I want to talk about other potential savings in terms of…25 Mar 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Second sitting)Q Indeed. I think part of the CPS’s role is to look at the impact of the court backlog on the system as a whole, and jury trials are a part of that. A big part of the work of the…25 Mar 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Second sitting)I want to declare that, as Crown prosecutor, I was assigned to the team that looked at the Insulate Britain campaign and reviewed the evidence as to whether charges should be…25 Mar 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Second sitting)Q My last question is about the allocation process. In previous debates, we have heard concern that the judge’s allocation decision about whether it is the Crown court bench…25 Mar 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Second sitting)Q So potentially there would be less repetitive listing of the same trial over and over again through those issues. Clement Goldstone: You would have one trial listed once,…25 Mar 2026