Contributions
1,269 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDAutomatic Release from Prison on LicenceMy right hon. Friend asks a very important question. I have to accept the limitations on the period of sentencing. Supervision is an important part of the licence period, but what…08 Oct 2019HANSARDAutomatic Release from Prison on LicenceI am grateful to the hon. Lady, who I know has written to me. I repeat my pledge to get on with legislating on that issue as soon as possible. We have, we hope, a new Session…08 Oct 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI know what my hon. Friend means. I laid a written ministerial statement before the House last week, and at the Conservative party conference, I announced reforms that will end…08 Oct 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsWhat I will say is that we are working on a housing repossession pilot. We are investing £5 million in early intervention services. I take a great interest in the work of law…08 Oct 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am distressed to hear that from my hon. Friend—I have sat as a judge in Hereford and it is a most pleasant court. Matters of jury service and jury duty are, of course, for the…08 Oct 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am happy to confirm that.08 Oct 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am afraid that I will take no lectures from a Labour party that took a knife to civil legal aid back in the 1990s. I have a very long memory about legal aid, and I challenge…08 Oct 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend makes a very important point about the role of the armed forces. They have a huge offer to make, and I will talk to him further about those points.08 Oct 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am grateful to the hon. Lady for raising that point. The level of appeals and the number of successful appeals remain stubbornly high, which has been of concern to all of us who…08 Oct 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe hon. Gentleman will know that there is cross-governmental work on this. We have a strategy on that issue, and the teachable moment and the importance of education are things…08 Oct 2019HANSARDKnife Crime ProsecutionsI work closely with the Attorney General and Home Office Ministers to ensure that the criminal justice system commands public confidence and tackles crime effectively. To address…08 Oct 2019HANSARDKnife Crime ProsecutionsOf course, the prosecuting authorities take knife crime incredibly seriously. In 2015, minimum custodial sentences of six months for repeat knife crime possession were introduced,…08 Oct 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe hon. Lady raises a hugely important point. I assure her that the mental health of offenders and prisoners is my priority. I think that we can do far more, and far more…08 Oct 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. The judgments speak for themselves, and the judges cannot really answer back when it comes to criticism. That is why I am here to defend them.08 Oct 2019HANSARDKnife Crime ProsecutionsMy hon. Friend is right to highlight the hard work of that local organisation and many others, such as the Ben Kinsella Trust, which do so much to educate young people about the…08 Oct 2019HANSARDKnife Crime ProsecutionsThe hon. Lady, like all of us in this House, whether we are parents or not, shares the worry about young people either carrying knives or coming into contact with people who do.…08 Oct 2019HANSARDKnife Crime ProsecutionsThe hon. Lady raises an interesting point. I think she would agree that it is difficult to extrapolate trends from an individual case, however concerning and deeply distressing…08 Oct 2019HANSARDJudiciary: IndependenceI think that everybody—whichever part of Government or our country they might come from—will probably be aware of my public pronouncements about this matter. I will keep saying it…08 Oct 2019HANSARDJudiciary: IndependenceI am more than happy to confirm all those points, made so ably by the Chair of the Justice Committee.08 Oct 2019HANSARDJudiciary: IndependenceI can confirm that this Government, like their predecessors and, I hope, successors, will continue to respect and obey the law, and respect the rule of law.08 Oct 2019