Contributions
2,186 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDDraft Consumer Protection (Enforcement) (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Consumer Protection (Enforcement) (Amendment etc.) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. It is a pleasure to serve under your…06 Oct 2020HANSARDCovid-19: Maternity and Parental LeaveAs I say, it is the overall aspect of the right balance, in terms of maternity leave, between the time and the money that we believe is both generous and fair—getting that right…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsI appreciate the urgent question. The Government recognise that the Horizon dispute has had a hugely damaging effect on the lives of affected postmasters and their families, and…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsI thank the right hon. Gentleman for those points, and I will try to deal with them directly. The decision to prosecute postmasters was an operational matter for the Post Office,…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsMy hon. Friend is absolutely right that we need to get to the bottom of who knew what and when. That is why I am determined that, under Sir Wyn Williams’s chairmanship, we can…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsI thank my right hon. Friend for those personal comments. We are constituency MPs as well, so we can all, I hope, share the horror when we hear the stories of those people, who…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsIn terms of the post office network, it is up to the Post Office to work out how best to compensate people, and it will be looking at that in due course. We will continue to work…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsMy hon. Friend makes an incredibly good point. It is important, first, that Sir Wyn Williams engages with the sub-postmasters, led by Alan Bates, as part of the group litigation,…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsI thank my hon. Friend—I did not ask him to say what he did, but it is gratefully received and he can come again. All of us as constituency MPs hear from people like Nirmala…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsYes, I am anxious, because it is important that we keep the network up at the target level we set of 11,500. The hon. Lady is right that some of the difficulty is due to the…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsOn compensation, it depends on the situation of the people involved. Those who have been wrongfully convicted have recourse through the courts. I have regular contact with Nick…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsI can assure the hon. Lady that the computer very much says yes, which is why we have launched an independent inquiry.05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsI thank my hon. Friend for that, and as I have said, I pay tribute to the work that the Committee has done. The Government will certainly consider the very many sensible points…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsWe discuss that with the Post Office regularly, and it is the Post Office’s decision not to oppose the appeals. This is clearly part of the recognition that it got things wrong so…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsMy uncle was a sub-postmaster in a rural area, and I saw the way he worked; that predated Horizon. We have watched people like him and my hon. Friend’s father work so hard in…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsThe brief answer is no in terms of the chairmanship; in terms of the Secretary of State and sackcloth and ashes, I am the postal affairs Minister so I am the one who set up the…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsIt is up to Sir Wyn Williams how he wants to frame that inquiry, but it is absolutely set up for sub-postmasters to have their voices heard and to report back within about a year.05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsOn who is held responsible, let us wait for the response from Sir Wyn Williams and the independent inquiry. I know that, from Justice Fraser’s findings, some names have been…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsAbsolutely: I want to ensure this is dealt with in a timely fashion, and we will take all the recommendations very seriously, because we want to get to the bottom of this. I…05 Oct 2020HANSARD CCRC Decision on 44 Post Office ProsecutionsNobody but nobody, least of all me, can fail to be appalled by what we read about some of the situations and some of the hardship and worse that many constituents have been…05 Oct 2020