Lords
Debate
9 February 2026
8 contributions
Victims and Courts Bill
My Lords, my Amendment 13 and the other amendments in this group look at the arrangements set out in Clause 3 on how courts should manage the difficult issue of the rights of a person with parental responsibility who is a convicted child sex offender. The range of proposals, and indeed my Amendment …
My Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Lords who have spoken during this debate. As I said right at the start, we are looking at the entire spectrum of time as to where the responsibility for imposing these orders should start and stop, and that is anywhere between any child sexual offence and a …
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
9 February 2026
Jimmy Lai: Prison Sentence
Yes, Jimmy Lai should have consular visits. He should have access to the ability to practise his religious beliefs; he should also have medical access and access to his family. Yes, we did raise this and will continue to.
Lords
Debate
5 February 2026
8 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, my late friend Lord Wallace of Tankerness had originally laid this proposal that Clause 195 should not stand part. I had signed it to support him because of my interests in human rights. His untimely death last week means that I am now leading on something that he, as an excellent lawyer, …
My Lords, I am very grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Davies of Gower, for speaking in support of the clause not standing part, particularly for speaking about the very short time that it had for debate in the Commons, which obviously did not have the chance to go through some of the detail that DELF…
+6 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
27 January 2026
5 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I declare my interest that my son is a senior lecturer at Swansea University, specialising in online radicalisation. He advises a number of Governments and parliaments, including our own, and other public bodies, including on Prevent.
In the previous group, we noted that the police are in…
My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Thornton, for outlining the core, essential use of the public sector equality duty. I note that the Government’s website says:
“The Public Sector Equality Duty … requires public authorities to have due regard … when exercising their functions, like making …
+3 more contributions in this session
Lords
Debate
27 January 2026
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I am grateful for all the contributions to this, as usual, heated debate about recording data. I will focus mainly on data in my response from these Benches.
I thank the noble Baroness, Lady Cash, for starting by quoting some data sources, but neither she nor the amendment acknowledges th…
It is Front-Bench speeches.
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
22 January 2026
6 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
Accountability.
My Lords, it is a pleasure to support the noble Baroness, Lady Doocey, on Amendment 427, and I have signed Amendment 428, which I will address. I come to the issue of mental health because I was present at and contributed to the debate the last time your Lordships’ House reviewed and improved the Ar…
+4 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
21 January 2026
Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy
The key point to note is that the entire strategy is fully funded. At least £1 billion is being spent across government over the spending review, and that includes funding for education. Indeed, there are other government programmes, because it is a cross-government approach, through other departmen…
Lords
Debate
20 January 2026
2 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I have signed my noble friend Lord Marks’s Amendment 420 and thank him for his excellent explanation. I am also reminded that our noble friend Lord Dholakia has campaigned for decades for a review of the way in which society deals with children in the criminal justice system. His principal…
My Lords, my colleagues in the Commons very much supported Helen Grant in her campaign for this amendment. I pay particular tribute to Jess Brown-Fuller MP. It is very helpful that it has been directed to this Bill, and we on these Benches are very pleased that the Opposition have laid the amendment…
Lords
Debate
20 January 2026
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I also support Amendment 415 from the noble Lord, Lord Davies of Gower, which seeks to introduce a new safeguard for the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 regarding the potential future use of digital identification by law enforcement. I too am grateful for his explanation about the si…
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Herbert, for his contribution because he set out the balance between non-crime hate incidents and non-crime incidents and the difference between the two. One of our concerns on these Benches is that—I am going to use the phrase he used, for which I apo…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
19 January 2026
Domestic Violence Against Children
The noble Baroness will know that I cannot give a figure on that today. We have put an extra £20 million into the violence against women and girls strategy to deal with the particular issues that are the focus of this Question. There is a need—to go back to an earlier point made by the previous nobl…
Lords
Debate
15 January 2026
7 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Moynihan of Chelsea, set out the principles that he believes are important to secure freedom of speech by removing the words “abusive or insulting” from a number of pieces of legislation. From these Benches, we absolutely accept freedom of speech. But I want to pick up…
I am very grateful to the noble Baroness for her intervention and her questions. I say, with great courtesy to the Government Whip, that her first question does not relate to the amendment because it is not about an offence. She was talking about the pre-banning of people and asking whether harm is …
+5 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
17 December 2025
Violence against Women and Girls Strategy
I am grateful that the noble Lord has outlined that he will respond to the Statement in due course, and I echo the comments of many Members of this House and the other House about its delay. But VAWG is going to be halved only when some of the key things that worry women at the moment are solved, so…
Lords
Debate
16 December 2025
Victims and Courts Bill
My Lords, I join in welcoming the Bill. The Long Title states that it is to
“make provision about the experience of victims within the criminal justice system”.
In that context, it is strange to be considering such a Bill in the absence of Lady Newlove. A good test of what can be achieved by the B…
Lords
Debate
15 December 2025
6 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I want first to pick up on the amendment from the noble Baroness, Lady Maclean, and both her comments and those of the noble Baroness, Lady Fox, and ask the Minister a question. Am I right in thinking that given that the Prison Service—and I think also the Probation Service—must do a full …
I am on the “how to change your name” government website, which says that if you are a sex offender, violent offender or terrorist offender, you must go to your local prescribed police station where you are known within three days of changing your name. It is a criminal offence if you do not tell th…
+4 more contributions in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
11 December 2025
Wheelchair and Community Equipment Strategy
My Lords, I thank the noble Lord, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath, for securing this valuable debate. I also thank all noble Lords who have shared their own valuable experiences. I also welcome the noble Baroness, Lady Gerada—I hope I have pronounced that correctly—who, in her maiden speech, shared her val…
Lords
Statutory Instrument
11 December 2025
4 contributions
Infected Blood Compensation Scheme (Amendment) Regulations 2025
My Lords, I welcome the progress that has been made by the Infected Blood Compensation Authority—IBCA—and the Government in delivering payments. I pay tribute to the work of Sir Brian Langstaff and all those involved in the Infected Blood Inquiry and its additional report. This report made a number …
I believe that to be the case. I will confirm to the noble Baroness in writing, given the issues that we are talking about. I would not want to mislead anybody, but I believe that is IBCA’s approach for affected estates as well.
Previous payments are all, pre 31 March, ex gratia. Only payments from…
+2 more contributions in this session
Lords
Proceedings
11 December 2025
Grooming Gangs: Independent Inquiry
My Lords, earlier this year, Parliament discussed the national audit by the noble Baroness, Lady Casey, of group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse. Her report brought with it her exceptional ability to identify the issues around the appalling exploitation and abuse and the actions that need …
Lords
Debate
9 December 2025
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, Amendment 315 seeks to do something very simple but long overdue: automatically commence the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Act 2023 when the Crime and Policing Bill receives Royal Assent. The Act requires the Government to pass a statutory instrument to commence its provis…
I am struggling to get what I have just heard right. Earlier this evening, we discussed a number of amendments in which we were not supported because we expect to see the strategy on violence against women and girls. This is completely different. There is legislation that is on the books but has not…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Debate
9 December 2025
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
My Lords, I have signed Amendment 289. This is the first opportunity I have had to speak in Committee because of family illness, and it is good to be back.
In a previous group of amendments last week, the Committee heard the concerns of a number of Peers worried that the Government’s proposals migh…
My Lords, Amendment 293 in my name is very straightforward and necessary. Victims of child sexual abuse and other offences often do not come forward themselves at the time of the offences. Research has shown that, on average, it takes around three decades for a survivor to get the courage to come fo…
+1 more contribution in this session
Lords
Oral Questions
9 December 2025
Facial Recognition Technology: Safeguards
The noble Baroness can make representations on those matters as part of the consultation. We are looking at the public sector because we are the Home Office and are responsible for policing. That is therefore the issue that we are examining. There need to be some safeguards, regulation, and an under…
Lords
Oral Questions
9 December 2025
Armed Services: Sexual Violence
I agree with the noble Baroness about the importance of training all ranks. Certainly, I know that the military take that extremely seriously. The establishment of the victim care unit is part of ensuring that victims are supported through the process. On whether the training has been identified acc…
Lords
Debate
11 November 2025
2 contributions
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
My Lords, I agree with the noble Baroness, Lady Neuberger, and the noble Lord, Lord Harper, that, over the last four to five years, we have been round the Houses on this issue, not just in this Bill but in a large number of Bills. It keeps returning because there are concerns.
I want to start by tr…
The last Government produced an expert report in the run-up to our 23 debates on various amendments. Will the Government undertake to have an expert report from doctors and scientists, which would then be published in full, so that Parliament and the wider community can actually see the detail? The …
Lords
Debate
5 November 2025
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
My Lords, I have signed both Amendment 58 and Amendment 80, which is consequential to Amendment 58. We have just heard very eloquently from the noble Lord, Lord Alton, about why it is important. I will just highlight a couple of very brief points.
First, I lived in Hong Kong until 1960 and my famil…
Lords
Proceedings
4 November 2025
Infected Blood Compensation Scheme
My Lords, I thank all the infected and affected victims who have been in touch with me and other noble Lords in the last few weeks, not least since the consultation started and the independent review of the workings of IBCA was published. They are living the consequences of the scandal that the nobl…
Lords
Debate
3 November 2025
2 contributions
Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
My Lords, I apologise to the House for not being able to take part on this Bill at an earlier stage. The second amendment in this group, Amendment 57, in the name of the noble Baroness, Lady Lister of Burtersett, addresses the issue of age assessment of young asylum seekers who may or may not be und…
My Lords, I am very grateful to all noble Lords who have spoken during the debate on age assessment, and particularly to the noble Baroness, Lady Lister, for her amendment, which, as the Minister recognised, sets a wider framework for concerns about age assessment, whereas my amendment was highly sp…