Contributions
112 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMental Health Bill [HL]My Lords, I understand the dilemma. The point I emphasise is that, in deciding this, one has to be clear that the child has a proper explanation of the ultimate decision that has…22 Jan 2025HANSARDMental Health Bill [HL]My Lords, as the noble Baroness has just said, my Amendment 147, which deals with competence and decision-making, would provide what I suggest is a necessary statutory test to…22 Jan 2025HANSARDMental Health Bill [HL]My Lords, I do not want to prolong this, but I have to say that, although I am disappointed and a little surprised by the response from the Government, the intention is to align…22 Jan 2025HANSARDMental Health Bill [HL]My Lords, I hesitate to interrupt, but I want to make much the same point that the noble Baroness has made based on my experience of a trip to A&E last year. I mentioned it…20 Jan 2025HANSARDDomestic Abuse: Victims and SurvivorsMy Lords, the Government’s aim to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, target perpetrators and address the root causes of abuse and violence is clearly ambitious.…12 Dec 2024HANSARDHumanist MarriagesMy Lords, does the Minister agree that, rather than an equality impact assessment, what are required are certainty, clarity and essential fairness in the law governing all…02 Dec 2024HANSARDMental Health Bill [HL]My Lords, consideration of this Bill has been greatly assisted by the thorough scrutiny and analysis undertaken by the Joint Committee on the draft Bill and its compelling report,…25 Nov 2024HANSARDIstanbul Convention: Article 59My Lords, it is well known that uncertainty about immigration status can be exploited by those wanting to continue to restrict and control a partner or former partner, so it is…12 Nov 2024HANSARDProperty (Digital Assets etc) BillMy Lords, we should indeed be grateful to the Minister for his introduction to this Bill. It concerns a topic for which there are mixed messages, as we have already gathered.…06 Nov 2024HANSARDHumanist WeddingsMy Lords, although this Question refers only to humanist weddings, it really does concern the unsatisfactory state of the law on the formation and validity of marriages. The…16 Oct 2024HANSARDSupport for Infants and Parents etc (Information) Bill [HL]My Lords, it is impossible to disagree with anything said in this debate so far. The motives and thinking behind the Bill cannot be questioned: seeking to support the physical and…06 Sept 2024HANSARDKing’s SpeechMy Lords, having been a family judge for some years, I welcome the opportunity to endorse what was just said about deprivation of liberty orders concerning children. I have had to…24 Jul 2024HANSARDSchools: Mental Health and Poor AttendanceMy Lords, will the new Government seek to address the severe problems of child and adolescent mental health services coping with increased referrals and lack of staff? As reported…24 Jul 2024HANSARDVictims and Prisoners BillMy Lords, I associate myself with those remarks. I stayed late, expecting to debate the question of the marriage of long-term prisoners, and was a bit concerned to see that the…21 May 2024HANSARDVictims and Prisoners BillMy Lords, I raised questions about Clause 55 and how it might operate in practice at Second Reading that were really not answered. I make no criticism; the Minister had a lot to…21 May 2024HANSARDModern Slavery National Referral Mechanism: Waiting TimesMy Lords, as the Minister has said, assessments to identify and support victims of trafficking, for whom any delay is harmful, can be complex and time-consuming. How many children…13 May 2024HANSARDVictims and Prisoners BillMy Lords, I will speak in support of Amendments 80 and 84. These amendments would extend the provision of Jade’s law in the Bill, which relates to murder and manslaughter cases,…23 Apr 2024HANSARDVictims and Prisoners BillMy Lords, I will speak briefly again in relation to the provision of transcripts covered by Amendment 19. I fully understand the point and the force of the amendment and wish to…23 Apr 2024HANSARDVictims and Prisoners BillI fully understand the point that the Minister is making. Can he indicate whether this problem has now been referred to the relevant Family Procedure Rule Committee? If it has, I…23 Apr 2024HANSARDVictims and Prisoners BillMy Lords, I support Amendment 90, which provides for the relaying of information to schools. Schools need accurate and prompt information about what is going on. They need to…23 Apr 2024