Contributions
1,152 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesWith your permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I will make a statement on sentencing in England and Wales. As the House will be aware, new guidelines from the Sentencing Council on…01 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesDear, dear, dear me. It seems that the right hon. Gentleman’s amnesia is as bad as ever: 14 whole years appear to have disappeared entirely from his memory. He talks about…01 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesI did answer the question: it did not.01 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesI thank the Liberal Democrat spokesman for his questions. He is right: as I said in my statement, pre-sentence reports are an incredibly vital tool for judges. In fact, the…01 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesI am grateful to my hon. Friend, because he gives me an opportunity at the conclusion of my statement to support the Probation Service. In all of the Tory party’s terrible legacy…01 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesThe hon. and learned Gentleman is absolutely right. It is for Parliament to set the overall sentencing framework, but every single judge has to see the case in front of them and…01 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesMy hon. Friend is exactly right. At no point has anybody on the Conservative Benches shown any humility or tried to answer the question of why they did nothing about it. As I say,…01 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesOn the immigration guideline, I will correct something that the shadow Justice Secretary said earlier. Nothing in that guideline prevents the deportation of any foreign national…01 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesI think the country had its say on 14 years of the Tories in charge. To be honest, given their legacy in the criminal justice system, I would not take the same approach, but I am…01 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesIn Wales, these are reserved matters, and the guidelines would impact only on England and Wales. There are devolved arrangements here as well, which I do not propose to upend in…01 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesMy hon. Friend is right. The business of government is difficult and requires lots of effort. The contrast between this Government’s approach and the approach taken by the Tory…01 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesNo. I have very positive conversations with the Lady Chief Justice. She has an important constitutional function and obligations, as do I. Our conversations are collaborative and…01 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesMy hon. Friend is right. I wish to see the widest possible use of pre-sentencing reports. It is my job to ensure that the Probation Service is in a position to provide…01 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesI can offer my hon. Friend immediate reassurance. The Bill that we have published today is a very targeted Bill on the ability of the Sentencing Council to bring forward…01 Apr 2025HANSARDSentencing Council GuidelinesOn diversity in the judiciary, there has been consensus in this House on that point. A lot of effort has gone into encouraging applications from people who may want to consider…01 Apr 2025HANSARDPrison Capacity: Operation SafeguardThis Government inherited a prison system on the verge of collapse, which would have left the courts unable to send offenders to prison and the police unable to arrest dangerous…18 Mar 2025HANSARDCriminal Justice System Efficiency: TechnologyThis Government inherited an analogue justice system that has not kept pace with a digital world. Technology can and must transform the justice system. Since taking office, we…11 Mar 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsWe have already pressed ahead with further measures on X-ray and baggage scanners, and we are taking action to deal with the problem of drones. My hon. Friend will be aware that,…11 Mar 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsI have already made my position clear. I have written to the Sentencing Council, and I will be meeting it later this week. I am reviewing the roles and powers of the council, and…11 Mar 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsWhat I am shocked about is that we can see a disparity in the overall cohort sentencing outcomes. Everybody accepts that we are not quite sure why it is happening, and there has…11 Mar 2025