Contributions
1,912 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillI reassure my right hon. Friend that this is something I am looking at in great detail. The Post Office has clearly been a dysfunctional organisation for a very long time, and…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillI thank the right hon. Gentleman. That is one reason why my Department will be looking after the redress delivered by the scheme.20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillI thank the right hon. Gentleman. I know that is a recommendation from his report, and it is something we are actively looking at and considering. As the Bill progresses through…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillI thank my hon. Friend for that question. He is right that many people had their reputations traduced because of what happened with the Horizon scandal. Where shortfalls were…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillI thank my hon. Friend for her intervention. I can look specifically at the cases she raises, but I think they may actually be covered by this Bill. I would be wary of expanding…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillThat is certainly something we can encourage the Executive to work to, but I cannot personally make that commitment because it would not solely be up to me. However, I just want…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillI take the point the hon. Member makes very seriously. We do understand, but we want to make sure that we do not create any possible unintended consequences by legislating on…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillI believe that the inquiry being led by Sir Wyn Williams is currently looking at that issue. It is important that audit processes work at the highest level, and that people are…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillI am grateful to my right hon. and learned Friend for his intervention. I am very happy to emphasise that, and will do so again later in my speech. I do enjoy it when we have two…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillThe Department can always do that. This is something that we believe is so critical in order to make sure everybody gets the justice they deserve, and we need to make sure that we…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillI thank the right hon. Gentleman for his intervention. The courts dealt very swiftly with the cases before them—perhaps a bit too swiftly. That is why the sub-postmasters suffered…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillI thank my hon. Friend for all the work she does in chairing the all-party parliamentary group for whistleblowing. She is right that this issue needs consideration, and we are…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillI thank my right hon. Friend for that intervention. That is something we can look at again at further stages of the Bill. We understand the issue that hon. Members are trying to…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillI thank the right hon. Gentleman for that point. That is also something that we considered carefully. It is part of the trade-off that we had to make in doing something…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillMy right hon. and learned Friend makes a good point about the final condition in the Bill. That is something that we considered, but it would likely have required a case-by-case,…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillWe are working closely with the Northern Ireland Executive. We have carefully considered the territorial extent of each piece of legislation, and we are rigorous in our commitment…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillI beg to move, That the Bill be now read a Second time. I am pleased to present the Bill for its Second Reading. It will quash the convictions of those affected by the Post Office…20 Mar 2024HANSARD Post Office (Horizon System) Offences BillI am very happy to consider a sunset clause. My hon. and learned Friend makes a very good point, and I really appreciate the fact that he can see the tightrope that we are…20 Mar 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am not going to take any lectures whatsoever from Labour Members. This is a good time to remind the House that it is only the Labour party that has been sanctioned for…20 Mar 2024HANSARDTopical QuestionsI understand why the Labour party insists on bringing this issue up over and over again, but Mr Hester has apologised for his comments, we have welcomed his apology, and we are…20 Mar 2024