Contributions
108 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSentences of Imprisonment for Public ProtectionMy Lords, building on the previous question, there are many IPP prisoners who have been considered safe to be released by the Parole Board and have been released but have then…24 Mar 2025HANSARDEuropean Convention on Human Rights: 75th AnniversaryMy Lords, I too extend my congratulations to the noble Lord, Lord Alton, for his truly magnificent opening. I declare an interest: I was a government lawyer for 34 years, and the…20 Mar 2025HANSARDGrenfell Tower Inquiry: Phase 2 ReportMy Lords, my point follows on nicely from that of the noble Baroness, Lady Sanderson. I do not find the Minister’s response totally satisfactory because, in the Government’s…27 Feb 2025HANSARDRenters’ Rights BillMy Lords, what wonderful maiden speeches we have heard today. I heartily endorse the congratulations given to our new Peers. Having read the debates in the other place describing…04 Feb 2025HANSARDDrones: High-security PrisonsMy Lords—15 Jan 2025HANSARDDrones: High-security PrisonsMy Lords, drugs getting into prisons, whether by drones or otherwise, give rise to self-inflicted deaths. Coroners issued 12 prevention of future deaths reports to the Ministry of…15 Jan 2025HANSARDPrisons: Imprisonment for Public ProtectionMy Lords, what a powerful debate this is turning into. I shall focus on the part of the HMPPS report dealing with self-inflicted deaths, another symptom of this cruel sentence.…12 Dec 2024HANSARDCladding RemediationThe National Audit Office recently published a report showing that of the £16.6 billion total remediation cost, £6.5 billion would be met by developers, private owners and social…25 Nov 2024HANSARDGrenfell Tower Inquiry ReportMy Lords, I declare an interest, as I played a role, as general counsel in No 10, in assisting Cabinet Office officials in setting up the Grenfell inquiry. Sir Martin’s report is…22 Nov 2024HANSARDImprisonment for Public Protection (Re-sentencing) Bill [HL]My Lords, I declare my interest as I am also a trustee of the Prison Reform Trust. I welcome the progress that is being made by the Ministry of Justice in automatically…15 Nov 2024HANSARDCPS Guidance: Intentional Police ShootingsMy Lords, building on the points that my noble friends have made, I wonder whether it is time to ask whether the guidance to prosecutors is really sufficient in this area. As the…29 Oct 2024HANSARDPolice AccountabilityMy Lords, 30 years ago, the House of Lords sitting judicially in the criminal appeal of Lee Clegg expressed concern that only a charge of murder was available in these cases,…28 Oct 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice System: CapacityMy Lords, I can see why increasing magistrates’ courts’ sentencing powers may be necessary as a short-term measure to deal with the backlog of about 17,000 remand prisoners.…22 Oct 2024HANSARDEducation (Values of British Citizenship) Bill [HL]My Lords, the ambition in the Bill of highlighting the importance for education purposes of democracy, the rule of law, freedom, individual worth and respect for the environment…18 Oct 2024HANSARDPrison CapacitiesI will focus on one of the most vulnerable groups in our prisons, elderly prisoners, who all too often can be forgotten amid all the other problems in our prisons. The Prison…12 Sept 2024HANSARDFundamental Rights and the Rule of LawMy Lords, the Independent Human Rights Act review of 2021, led by Sir Peter Gross, recommended a programme of civic and constitutional education in our schools and universities.…25 Jul 2024HANSARDKing’s SpeechMy Lords, I declare my interest as a trustee of the Prison Reform Trust, since I will focus yet further, I am afraid, on our failing prison system. My emphasis will be on the need…24 Jul 2024HANSARDVictims and Prisoners BillMy Lords, it is a real privilege to support my noble friend Lord Pannick in this debate on whether these clauses should stand part of the Bill. As he has said, back in the 1990s,…21 May 2024HANSARDVictims and Prisoners BillIt was Winston Churchill; I am corrected—both great names. If we have progressed at all from the way prisoners were treated in the past, we should be enabling whole-life prisoners…21 May 2024HANSARDVictims and Prisoners BillMy Lords, I am going to speak to four amendments in this group: Amendments 137 and 146 on executive release, on which I can be very brief; a new amendment in my name, Amendment…21 May 2024