Contributions
399 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDPrisoner Early ReleaseWhat I can tell the noble Baroness is that all our sympathies are for the victims of these shocking crimes. It is absolutely terrible what happened. By law, tomorrow this this…01 Jul 2026HANSARDPrisoner Early ReleaseI thank my noble friend, who probably reads Inside Time newspaper, because it had a headline about implanting chips. That was suggested by a potential supplier when we had a sort…01 Jul 2026HANSARDPrisoner Early ReleaseThe noble and learned Lord’s figures are correct. What I also believe is that most women should not be in prison. I believe most women are victims. When you know that over 60% of…01 Jul 2026HANSARDPrisoner Early ReleaseThe noble Lord is right to raise the point about prison building, because we have to keep building these prisons. There is a role for them but there is also a role for technology.…01 Jul 2026HANSARDPrisoner Early ReleaseI thank my noble friend for that question. Probation has had a very difficult time, but I am pleased to tell noble Lords that 90% of our probation regions are now improving, ahead…01 Jul 2026HANSARDPrisoner Early ReleaseWhat is important is that we get the numbers right. While we are here today, our incredibly hard-working and talented staff in our offender management units are working out the…01 Jul 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationI shall address those two separate points. Data collection is something that challenges me every day, along with vetting. As someone who has run a business where I had all the…24 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationI thank the right reverend Prelate. Styal is my local female prison that I have been going to for probably most of my life, so I am well aware of the challenges but also the…24 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationMy noble friend knows we have had a mixed model of education in our prisons for nearly 30 years. What is important is that we support our educators and support staff in prisons by…24 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationThere are some good reasons why we do not want internet everywhere in prisons, but 90% of the English estate now has digital learning in its cells in various ways: Launchpad or…24 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationThe provision of prison education is not good enough and budgets have not kept pace with rising costs. I am determined to improve the quality of education by driving up classroom…24 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationI thank the noble Lord. He is absolutely right and I am looking at this on a daily basis. I walk past too many classrooms in prisons that are not full. Some are only one-third…24 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationThis is the final question that the noble Earl will be asking me, because today is my 600th day in the job and his penultimate day in your Lordships’ House. I thank him very much…24 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisons: EducationThe noble Lord is correct that it cuts the actual provision: the budget we have has gone up, but you just get less value for money. This comes back to my aeroplane theory: I want…24 Feb 2026HANSARDBetter Prisons: Less Crime (Justice and Home Affairs Committee Report)My Lords, it is a privilege to close this debate on a topic that is very close to my heart. I was thrilled to see that so many new noble Lords chose this occasion to make their…12 Feb 2026HANSARDSeparation Centres ReviewMy Lords, I welcome the opportunity to discuss with your Lordships this evening Jonathan Hall KC’s independent review of separation centres and the Government’s response to it. I…10 Feb 2026HANSARDSeparation Centres ReviewI would be delighted to write to the noble Lord about the de-escalation training. He is right that human relationships are important in these closed environments. In fact, in all…10 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisoners for Palestine: Hunger StrikesSo far as the court backlogs and the length of time on remand are concerned, the situation is of course similar to what I inherited in the prisons. We need a sustainable system.…02 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisoners for Palestine: Hunger StrikesI thank the noble Lord for his question and concern, because we were all concerned about what was happening. I spent an awful lot of time making sure that all the policies and…02 Feb 2026HANSARDPrisoners for Palestine: Hunger StrikesI am, of course, very concerned for every prisoner refusing food. Our highly experienced staff work with prisoners to encourage them to end their refusal wherever possible.…02 Feb 2026