Contributions
923 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDChild Trust Funds: People with a Learning DisabilityMy Lords, people need a court order because, in the Mental Capacity Act, Parliament provided protection for young adults to make sure that their funds—and the funds are theirs,…22 Jun 2021HANSARDChild Trust Funds: People with a Learning DisabilityMy Lords, as I have said, we intend to launch the consultation as soon as possible after the Recess. This is a complex issue: as I have said before in this House, it is not…22 Jun 2021HANSARDChild Trust Funds: People with a Learning DisabilityMy Lords, the right reverend Prelate is absolutely right: the focus should be on people applying before the young adult turns 18, at which point the legal position changes. We are…22 Jun 2021HANSARDEnd-to-end Rape ReviewMy Lords, my noble friend is right to focus on the importance of PCCs in this area. Although, as I have said, the scorecards which we intend to bring in will look at local and…22 Jun 2021HANSARDEnd-to-end Rape ReviewMy Lords, I am reluctant to give a date for that because we really have to see how it works out in the courts in which it is being piloted. I have already explained that its use…22 Jun 2021HANSARDEnd-to-end Rape ReviewMy Lords, I am very happy to accept the two adjectives used by the noble Baroness: “serious” and “committed”. That is exactly what we are. She is right to say that there are…22 Jun 2021HANSARDEnd-to-end Rape ReviewMy Lords, I am not sure it is right or proper for me to comment on individual cases from the Dispatch Box. There is a proper procedure for people who seek probation or to have…22 Jun 2021HANSARDEnd-to-end Rape ReviewMy Lords, my noble friend is quite right to mention the victims Bill, which is an important element in this debate. Of course, with her background, she is a strong advocate for…22 Jun 2021HANSARDEnd-to-end Rape ReviewMy Lords, it is not only Operation Soteria that we need to focus on. As part of Operation Soteria, we are working with pathfinder police forces to test the latest technology,…22 Jun 2021HANSARDEnd-to-end Rape ReviewMy Lords, we can certainly agree on the last point. The focus of the criminal justice system is indeed to make sure that rapists are answerable for their crimes—and they are…22 Jun 2021HANSARDEnd-to-end Rape ReviewMy Lords, I turn first to the points raised by the noble and learned Lord, Lord Falconer of Thoroton. First, I should repeat the apology that the Lord Chancellor gave in the other…22 Jun 2021HANSARDEnd-to-end Rape ReviewMy Lords, on funding, we have invested record amounts in support for victims in the last 18 months. We spent more than £70 million on rape and domestic abuse services in the…22 Jun 2021HANSARDHillsborough: Collapse of TrialsMy Lords, at the time of these events, I was living in the constituency next door to the noble Lord’s and I remember his significant leadership in the city then. Respectfully, I…14 Jun 2021HANSARDLibel and Defamation Cases: Cost to Public FundsMy Lords, that is absolutely right. With respect to the comment of the noble Lord, Lord Rooker, from a sedentary position, it is not a vested interest point, it is a fundamental…14 Jun 2021HANSARDLibel and Defamation Cases: Cost to Public FundsMy Lords, the Government always take action to protect freedom of expression to safeguard the work of journalists. The forthcoming online safety legislation will enshrine in law…14 Jun 2021HANSARDLibel and Defamation Cases: Cost to Public FundsMy Lords, it is not what the Government are doing but what the Government have done. Section 9 of the Defamation Act 2013 provides that if a defendant is domiciled out of the…14 Jun 2021HANSARDHillsborough: Collapse of TrialsMy Lords, in cases like this, it is important to distinguish between the institutional response—which in many cases was either lacking or appalling—and the individual response of…14 Jun 2021HANSARDHillsborough: Collapse of TrialsMy Lords, the Government fundamentally recognise the importance of placing the bereaved at the heart of any investigation that follows a public disaster. The noble Lord has worked…14 Jun 2021HANSARDLibel and Defamation Cases: Cost to Public FundsMy Lords, court fees are set to achieve full cost recovery, and thus the cost to public funds of libel claims brought by people from outside the United Kingdom in England and…14 Jun 2021HANSARDHillsborough: Collapse of TrialsMy Lords, the CPS sought advice from senior Treasury counsel pre-charge. Decisions on appropriate charges were made after consideration of that advice. Those decisions were taken…14 Jun 2021