Contributions
561 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts BillMy Lords, I acknowledge the long-standing interest and expertise of the noble Baroness, Lady Chakrabarti, in this field. Her words will have been noted by the Bill team listening…22 Nov 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts BillMy Lords, my noble friend’s personal experience and her service as Victims’ Commissioner lend force to her eloquence. I shall go on to address the funding available for attendance…22 Nov 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts BillMy Lords, in replying, I preface my remarks by commenting on points made by noble Lords. The first was made by the noble Lord, Lord Thomas of Gresford, at the outset, while the…22 Nov 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts BillUltimately, my Lords, arrival at the truth is the objective of all legal process in this area, but the inquest convened under the coroner is but a part of that overall inquiry.…22 Nov 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts BillMy Lords, Amendment 280 would restrict the Ministry of Justice to appoint in our courts and tribunals only interpreters who are registered on the national register of public…22 Nov 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts BillHypothetically, yes, but I hesitate to give the noble Lord a definite commitment on that, as my information on these points is substantially in answer to the point raised by the…22 Nov 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts BillAs I think I have said, the contract provides that, at the highest level, the standard is commensurate with that of the NRPSI. In answer to the noble Lord’s second point, of…22 Nov 2021HANSARDPolice, Crime, Sentencing and Courts BillMy Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Kennedy of Cradley, for her amendment. For the victim of a crime to be told that the culprit cannot be prosecuted because a time limit…22 Nov 2021HANSARDQueen’s SpeechMy Lords, it is a privilege and pleasure to open the second day of debate on Her Majesty’s most gracious Speech. I am delighted to be joined by my noble friend Lord True, who I…13 May 2021HANSARDCrown Courts: Outstanding CasesMy Lords, at the Nightingale venues, we use experienced court staff who are trained to deal with the type of work heard on site. While Nightingales deal with non-custodial cases,…15 Apr 2021HANSARDCrown Courts: Outstanding CasesMy Lords, prior to retirement, judges below the High Court are already able to have their appointments extended on an annual basis up to the age of 75 where there is a business…15 Apr 2021HANSARDCrown Courts: Outstanding CasesMy Lords, we acknowledge that, in many cases, participation by way of remote hearings is valuable for people in such positions. None the less, we also appreciate that it is not…15 Apr 2021HANSARDCrown Courts: Outstanding CasesMy Lords, I repeat the figure that I gave earlier: over a quarter of £1 billion has been spent on a range of measures to increase Crown Court capacity. With respect to the…15 Apr 2021HANSARDCrown Courts: Outstanding CasesMy Lords, I am obliged to my noble friend for her question. The recovery steps taken have made a difference, allowing us to complete around 2,000 cases each week—the same figure…15 Apr 2021HANSARDCrown Courts: Outstanding CasesMy Lords, in relation to the Question posed by the noble Lord on behalf of the noble Lord, Lord Beith, we spent more than a quarter of £1 billion on recovery in the last financial…15 Apr 2021HANSARDCrown Courts: Outstanding CasesMy Lords, prior to Covid, the outstanding case load in the Crown Court was 39,000, which is well within the range of 33,000 to 55,000 over the last decade. At its lowest point, it…15 Apr 2021HANSARDCrown Courts: Outstanding CasesMy Lords, I repeat the answer given previously: the department does not collect specific data on the level of offending by defendants on court bail. However, as the noble Lord is…15 Apr 2021HANSARDCrown Courts: Outstanding CasesMy Lords, we are keenly aware of the need to improve timeliness for both defendants and victims, and to mitigate the impact of delays on complainers and witnesses in such cases.…15 Apr 2021HANSARDCrown Courts: Outstanding CasesMy Lords, I do not accept the adjectival premises on which the noble Lord’s questions were based. I refer to my earlier answers about the spending that has been identified in…15 Apr 2021HANSARDOverseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) BillMy Lords, Amendments 7 and 8 seek to remove Clauses 8 and 9 from the Bill. Clause 8, in conjunction with Schedule 2, introduces new factors to which the courts must have…13 Apr 2021