Contributions
785 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill [Lords]If the ground is made out that the marriage has irretrievably broken down, I think most people would say that there is no merit in seeking to go beyond that. I know it is…17 Jun 2020HANSARD Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill [Lords]That is an interesting point and I would like to see what the Government can come up with to deal with that, but I am not convinced that it needs to be in the Bill. I do, though,…17 Jun 2020HANSARD Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill [Lords]It is pleasure to see the Lord Chancellor in his place. I am sorry if the queue—or perhaps short legs—meant that I arrived just as he was getting to his feet. I did not get the…17 Jun 2020HANSARD Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill [Lords]It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Dame Rosie, and to follow the hon. Member for Stockton North (Alex Cunningham). I listened with great care to the speech by my hon.…17 Jun 2020HANSARD Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill [Lords]I am supportive of the objective, but I would like to hear the Minister’s comments on whether those are the best means of achieving it in the context of the Bill. I entirely…17 Jun 2020HANSARD Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill [Lords]I think it rather depends on the grounds on which the petition is abandoned. If someone was coerced into abandoning a petition, I would not regard it as something to celebrate, to…17 Jun 2020HANSARD Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill [Lords]Unfortunately, that is also true. I think most of us will have seen that in our surgeries. It is also worth saying that the pilot information meetings held under the Family Law…17 Jun 2020HANSARD Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill [Lords]I do not think the Bill adds to that problem at all. If it exists, it can exist in any profession and can be dealt with by proper regulation. I suggest to the hon. Gentleman, for…17 Jun 2020HANSARD Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill [Lords]It seems to me that that is precisely what the Bill is seeking to do. The problem is the requirement to prove the following facts to support that because, inevitably, that…17 Jun 2020HANSARD Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing BillIt is a pleasure to follow the speeches by both Front Benchers, who were serious and thoughtful, and rightly so. Any criminal justice Bill is important, and any Bill touching on…09 Jun 2020HANSARD Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing BillI have a lot of sympathy with the point that my right hon. and learned Friend makes about the value that TPIMs can have as part of the armoury, so to speak, in dealing with these…09 Jun 2020HANSARD Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing BillMy hon. Friend, who has much experience in these matters, makes a very good point. Ultimately, most of us who believe in the rule of law will always prefer to see prosecution and…09 Jun 2020HANSARD Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing BillI take on board what the right hon. Gentleman says, and I know that the Secretary of State will as well. We all want to get this right for the sake of the national good.…09 Jun 2020HANSARD Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing Billrose—09 Jun 2020HANSARD Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing BillThat is very generous—characteristically so—of the right hon. Gentleman. This is something that, as he rightly observes, has nothing to do with party. Any of us who has lived in…09 Jun 2020HANSARD Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing BillThe Lord Chancellor makes the point very clearly, and I fully understand that, but I do just juxtapose it with the observation by Mr Hall, QC, in his note dated 2 June, in which…09 Jun 2020HANSARD Counter-Terrorism and Sentencing BillI am grateful to the Lord Chancellor for that intervention. I know that he takes this immensely seriously on a personal level as well as an official level. We ought to be prepared…09 Jun 2020HANSARDSecure Estate for Young PeopleI appreciate that, as the number of young people in the secure estate has reduced, the cohort has become often more difficult to deal with. None the less, during its current…09 Jun 2020HANSARDDivorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill [Lords]I am grateful to the Lord Chancellor, and I support the Bill. Is it not an important argument, which I hope my hon. Friend the Member for Winchester (Steve Brine) will take on…08 Jun 2020HANSARDDivorce, Dissolution and Separation Bill [Lords]This is an important Bill and I support it, because I am a practising Anglican and because I take marriage seriously. If I thought it undermined marriage, I would not support it,…08 Jun 2020