Contributions
747 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDCourt BacklogI thank my hon. Friend for raising that case; it is a graphic illustration of the crisis that we are grappling with and the impact it is having. Those delays cause trauma, making…03 Feb 2026HANSARDCourt BacklogI am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that case, and I would of course be happy to meet him. Again, it is a graphic illustration of the ways in which the delays in the…03 Feb 2026HANSARDCourt BacklogThe hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. The workforce has been depleted by repeated cuts to legal aid and people choosing more lucrative and attractive areas of work. What are we…03 Feb 2026HANSARDCourt BacklogOf course, that is one of the contributory factors to the issues in our courts, although not the only one—again, we must look at all these things. We await part 2 of Sir Brian…03 Feb 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe hon. Gentleman will know that justice is a devolved matter. I am content for him to write to me, and I will look into this specific case. However, justice is, of course, a…03 Feb 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsI thank my hon. Friend, who has spoken on a number of occasions about his horrific experience, and I think I speak for all in this House when I say that that takes a lot of…03 Feb 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am sorry to hear about the case the hon. Lady raises. County court rules require that possession claims be listed for hearing within eight weeks of receipt and, in the main, we…03 Feb 2026HANSARDJury TrialsThe hon. Gentleman is right that listing is a judicial function, but the fact remains—this is CPS data—that some 4,000 cases last year could have been heard four times faster. We…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsMy hon. Friend is right to say that the nature of crime and of the evidence presented is altering the way our criminal justice system works, but let me provide this reassurance to…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsThe Conservatives had 14 years to implement the solutions that they now say are blindingly obvious. The fact is that swift courts, flow courts, blitz courts—whatever we wish to…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsI will make a commitment to publish an impact assessment, an equalities impact assessment, and the evidence of the independent review in the usual way when we bring forward our…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsI will give way for the final time, and then I will wrap up.07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsMy hon. Friend speaks with ample experience from two decades spent working for the Crown Prosecution Service. She knows exactly how the system works, warts and all. The realism…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsMy hon. Friend is right that if a case is determined by a judge, reasons will need to be given. Indeed, reasons are a good thing—those convicted of a crime will have transparency,…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsMy hon. Friend asks a really important question, and we will lay out our plans on just that point. How do we prevent that revolving door of reoffending? It is there in the work…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsI could not agree more. As I am someone with responsibility for the recruitment of our magistrates, I know my hon. Friend will have seen in the early headlines this year that we…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsThe right hon. Lady is right that there are regional difficulties—the situation for those in the south-east, London and parts of the north-east and the north-west is utterly…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsI will complete this point and then I will take an intervention. Investment is what is needed, and investment can get us out of the crisis we are in. Let me be absolutely clear:…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsAs so often, my hon. Friend the Member for Bolsover (Natalie Fleet) is a powerful advocate for women and for victims. As I have said, the reforms that the Government are bringing…07 Jan 2026HANSARDJury TrialsMy answer to the hon. Gentleman is simple: there will be an impact assessment and this House will have the opportunity to scrutinise it. It is important that the impact assessment…07 Jan 2026