Contributions
722 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Twelfth sitting)This group contains a number of new clauses, and I want to make sure that I address all the principal themes. New clause 5, tabled by the hon. Member for Chichester, relates to…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eleventh sitting)It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir John. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton South and Walkden for speaking to the new clause. As she knows, an early…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eleventh sitting)We are making those choices. The difference is that we do not need legislation to make those choices. We have made those choices, including the commitment of money to fund…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eleventh sitting)I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton South and Walkden for speaking to new clause 2, the hon. Member for Chichester for tabling new clauses 6 and 23, and the hon. Member…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eleventh sitting)I thank the hon. Member for that intervention. I will make two points in response. First, the full extent of the crisis in our criminal justice system was not apparent. It was not…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eleventh sitting)Once again, I strongly reject that suggestion. The two things are not mutually exclusive: wanting to bring in measures that speed up justice for every victim in the criminal…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eleventh sitting)I am going to make some progress. As I said, and as I discussed with my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington North, I assure the Committee that the principle behind this proposal…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eleventh sitting)I do not think it is necessary. Everyone has heard what I have to say.28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eleventh sitting)The hon. Lady asks a really good question. The point about ineffective trials is one of the greatest sources of both delay and waste in the system. She is right that last year…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eleventh sitting)A juryless system?28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eleventh sitting)I thank the hon. Member for Chichester for tabling new clauses 3 and 4, which seek to extend Crown court sitting hours, including the possibility of running two separate sessions…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eleventh sitting)Well, during covid courts did operate with extended and flexible arrangements, but those were temporary measures, under exceptional conditions, dealing with reduced volumes. By…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eleventh sitting)As I have said, we have precedent. The pilots showed that there was precious little improvement. Extending sitting hours might make things worse if, for example, one is stuck in…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Eleventh sitting)We heard evidence from Sir Brian Leveson about how in his earlier years sitting in the Crown court it was not unusual to hear a couple of trials in a day. One of his insights was…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Twelfth sitting)The hon. Lady makes a fair point. There is a mismatch between the performance data that PECS has recorded and the qualitative evidence that one hears from barristers and the…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Twelfth sitting)I do have confidence in the changes. Look at the levers in the Government’s gift: we can get more money for the system—tick. We can try to drive performance and govern the system…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Twelfth sitting)Let me begin, as we all have in this Committee, by acknowledging the challenges that victims face in accessing the information and support they need. We have talked about the…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Twelfth sitting)I absolutely recognise what the hon. Lady says. That is why I come back to this: swifter justice for victims is the guiding principle behind all these reforms. As she says, the…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Twelfth sitting)I entirely agree that training, in all the respects that the hon. Member for Chichester speaks about, is key, whether it is training on equal treatment or on a trauma-informed…28 Apr 2026HANSARDCourts and Tribunals Bill (Twelfth sitting)We are not going to do a pilot, not because piloting is not a good idea per se, but because a pilot would necessitate legislation, which is why the hon. Lady has proposed it in…28 Apr 2026