Contributions
2,005 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDMagistrate RecruitmentFirst off, I thank the hon. Gentleman for mentioning victims. For too long in this place, we have tended to focus either on the prosecution side or on defendants, but it is…03 Feb 2026HANSARDSeparation Centres ReviewI agree with the shadow Justice Secretary on the dangerous radicalised offenders we are talking about. I sense some cross-party agreement on that and on the importance of the work…03 Feb 2026HANSARDChanges to Jury TrialsAs I have said, our focus is on victims who are being left to wait three, four or five years for their day in court. That is why I will bring forward bold change to fix the…03 Feb 2026HANSARDSeparation Centres ReviewWe will continue to place individuals in separation centres, and Mr Hall’s review confirmed that they remain a vital part of our strategy to manage the most significant terrorist…03 Feb 2026HANSARDSeparation Centres ReviewI recognise that the hon. Gentleman has great experience of staring in the face, and at the consequences of, terrorist and extremist behaviour. It is important that we remain in…03 Feb 2026HANSARDChanges to Jury TrialsWe are not abandoning the jury system, but as Sir Brian Leveson said in his Sunday Times article this weekend, the threshold needs to be rebalanced. I am not sure if the right…03 Feb 2026HANSARDSeparation Centres ReviewI wish to inform the House of the publication of Jonathan Hall KC’s independent review of separation centres and the Government’s response to his findings. On 12 April 2025,…03 Feb 2026HANSARDCourt Backlog: ShropshireThe Government inherited an emergency in our criminal courts, with a record and rising open caseload of nearly 80,000 criminal cases waiting to be heard in the Crown court. In…03 Feb 2026HANSARDChanges to Jury TrialsThe Courts Minister and the Prisons Minister are working together on this issue. Sir Brian Leveson will have more to say tomorrow in part 2 of his report, on efficiencies, but one…03 Feb 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend is right that we are expecting a lot of our prison officers. I was staggered at the state of what we inherited from the Conservatives. I met the prison officer…03 Feb 2026HANSARDSeparation Centres ReviewI was very pleased to say in oral questions that we are turning the tide on the prison capacity crisis that we inherited. In the context of my statement, I talked about a tiered…03 Feb 2026HANSARDMagistrate RecruitmentWe are accelerating magistrate recruitment to meet future demand. Trailblazing reforms in three regions are streamlining the process, reducing the time from application to…03 Feb 2026HANSARDMagistrate RecruitmentMy right hon. Friend is right; there was historical underfunding, which sadly left our courts with a £1.3 billion maintenance backlog. We increased the capital maintenance budget…03 Feb 2026HANSARDMagistrate RecruitmentI congratulate my hon. Friend on his service as a magistrate. He is right: we want people from all walks of life, all backgrounds and all ages to feel able to serve in their local…03 Feb 2026HANSARDChanges to Jury TrialsIt is a bit rich raising what my colleagues are up to on the Back Benches when the hon. Member’s colleagues are going to other Benches in this House. He knows that article 40 of…03 Feb 2026HANSARDChanges to Jury TrialsThe IfG estimated a 10% contribution. If this were a 10% contribution to bringing down waiting lists at a hospital in the hon. Lady’s constituency, she would have it. Sir Brian…03 Feb 2026HANSARDPrison Estate: SafetyThis is a very serious issue, which is why I announced the partnership with our Ukrainian colleagues. Perhaps the hon. Gentleman missed it, but I also announced £6 million of…03 Feb 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right to centre his comments on the youth justice system. We will bring forward an action plan on that area very shortly.03 Feb 2026HANSARDSeparation Centres ReviewI recognise in the question the power of the right hon. Gentleman’s Catholicism and belief in redemptive capacity. It is important that we have the best psychiatrists and those…03 Feb 2026HANSARDSeparation Centres ReviewI am happy to write to the right hon. Gentleman with the detail, because it is a very good question. There are 254 prisoners in custody for terrorism or terrorism-related…03 Feb 2026