Contributions
882 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDHouse of Lords ReformMy Lords, I begin by thanking the noble Baroness, Lady Smith of Basildon, for making this debate possible. I quote: “There is a place with a proud record of standing up to…12 Nov 2024HANSARDHouse of Lords ReformThe noble Lord, Lord Liddle, suggests that there are more of the workers. He may be right, but of course we are a democracy, so we all have the right to be represented in…12 Nov 2024HANSARDSentencing Review and Prison CapacityI thank the Minister for repeating the Statement of the Justice Secretary. It is comforting to note that the Whitehall tradition of dusting down old policies for new Ministers is…23 Oct 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice System: CapacityCould the Minister perhaps respond to my inquiry as to why no impact assessment was carried out, given that there is potentially data available from the previous period when…22 Oct 2024HANSARDCriminal Justice System: CapacityMy Lords, I begin by thanking the Minister for engaging with me in correspondence last week, in which he calmly set out his reasoning for the present policy proposal. I express my…22 Oct 2024HANSARDHumanist WeddingsThose who wish a marriage to be conducted in England without any religious significance have always been able to carry out a ceremony with a registrar. The places in which that…16 Oct 2024HANSARDCommission on Justice in WalesCan the Minister please confirm that, as the newly appointed envoy for devolved nations and regions, Sue Gray should have an oversight of the implementation of this sort of…07 Oct 2024HANSARDFundamental Rights and the Rule of LawMy Lords, Michael Forst, the UN special rapporteur on environmental defenders, recently displayed a profound ignorance of the rule of law when he suggested that the Government…25 Jul 2024HANSARDStrategic Lawsuits Against Public ParticipationI welcome the Minister to his place on the Front Bench. As has been indicated, SLAPPs often involve an insidious abuse of domestic legal systems in order to intimidate…24 Jul 2024HANSARDKing’s SpeechMy Lords, it is a privilege to respond to the maiden speech of the noble and learned Lord, Lord Hermer. I am quite sure that, in his role as Attorney-General, he will continue to…23 Jul 2024HANSARDUnited Kingdom: UnionMy Lords, I thank my noble friend Lord McInnes of Kilwinning for securing this debate and welcome my noble friend Lord Cameron of Lochiel to the Front Bench for his maiden speech.…14 Mar 2024HANSARDNational Health Service: Liability CostsMy Lords, I begin with an apology. I did not timeously put my name down for this debate, but I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to say a few words on this topic. I am…02 Dec 2021HANSARDRule of Law: Law OfficersMy Lords, the duty of the law officers is to give the Government full and frank legal advice, to advise and to stipulate adherence to the rule of law. Our advice is confidential,…15 Sept 2020HANSARDRule of Law: Law OfficersMy Lords, the extent to which these provisions might be used in the context of negotiation is for others to determine. What I will say is that I have to accept the factual matrix…15 Sept 2020HANSARDRule of Law: Law OfficersMy Lords, I would find it difficult to disagree with any of the observations made by my noble friend. Of course, we must advise Government—as we would advise others—to temper the…15 Sept 2020HANSARDRule of Law: Law OfficersMy Lords, I am not seeking to give a political justification for anything; I am providing a legal justification for saying that the UKIM Bill falls within the boundaries of…15 Sept 2020HANSARDRule of Law: Law OfficersMy Lords, I would offer absolute reassurance with respect to the points that have been raised. First, there seems to be a common misconception that somehow we could unilaterally…15 Sept 2020HANSARDRule of Law: Law OfficersMy Lords, I was not concerned with either ambiguity or problems within the withdrawal agreement Bill; others may have taken a different view.15 Sept 2020HANSARDRule of Law: Law OfficersMy Lords, I sought to explain this morning to the Security and Justice Sub-Committee the position that I adopt with respect to this matter, and why I consider that the provisions…15 Sept 2020HANSARDRule of Law: Law OfficersMy Lords, I entirely concur with the observations of my noble friend. As I indicated before, it is one thing for the Executive to determine an issue at the level of international…15 Sept 2020