Commons
Oral Questions
11 November 2025
3 contributions
Environmental Crime: Victim Support
A victim of an environmental crime can expect to receive the relevant services as set out in the victims code. Police and crime commissioners receive annual grant funding from the Ministry of Justice to commission support for victims of all crime types. I refer the hon. Lady, who I know is an avid c…
The hon. Member will know that the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 gives the water industry regulators new powers to take tougher and faster action to crack down on water companies that are not delivering for customers and the environment. She will also be aware that the victims code covers victim…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
11 November 2025
3 contributions
Technology-assisted Child Sexual Abuse
Supporting victims of child sexual exploitation and abuse is a priority for this Government. The Ministry of Justice funds police and crime commissioners across England and Wales as well as more than 60 specialist sexual violence organisations that provide local support services for all victims, inc…
My hon. Friend asks an important question. Parliament intended the unduly lenient sentence scheme to be an exceptional power, and any expansion of the scheme must be carefully considered. She will be aware that we had a recent debate on this issue on the Floor of the House in considering the Victims…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
3 November 2025
9 contributions
Public Office (Accountability) Bill
rose —
I welcome the hon. and learned Gentleman’s comments, but the Bill literally says that there is a duty of candour “at all times”.
+7 more contributions in this session
Commons
Debate
27 October 2025
14 contributions
Victims and Courts Bill
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
It is truly an honour to open this debate and to bring the Victims and Courts Bill before the House. This Bill is about people—victims who have suffered unimaginable trauma and their families—and ensuring that they receive justice. It is about restoring faith in a justice system that can often feel …
+12 more contributions in this session
Commons
Statutory Instrument
20 October 2025
2 contributions
Draft Compensation for Miscarriages of Justice (Alteration of Overall Compensation Limits) Order 2025
I beg to move,
That the Committee has considered the draft Compensation for Miscarriages of Justice (Alteration of Overall Compensation Limits) Order 2025.
It is an honour to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Vickers. I think we can all agree that miscarriages of justice have a devastating impact …
I thank the shadow Minister for his comments. The draft order is an important part of the Government’s work to ensure that people are appropriately compensated. This is the first time that the caps have been increased since their introduction in 2008, and I am proud that it is a Labour Government wh…
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
16 September 2025
5 contributions
Topical Questions
I have had several productive conversations with the chief coroner, looking at how we can make the inquest process as quick as possible to ensure that the bereaved are supported and not left traumatised waiting for their inquest. The Bill we are laying before Parliament today, the Hillsborough law, …
May I put on the record my sincere gratitude to the WomenCentre for doing all it can to support the victims of these crimes? Support services are a vital element of ensuring that victims and witnesses engage with the criminal justice system, and are kept informed about the uptake of their trial. We …
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
16 September 2025
3 contributions
Support for Witnesses
Supporting victims and witnesses is key to ensuring that offenders are brought to justice. Measures are in place to support victims. We have already discussed those measures, such as section 28 and the Ministry of Justice-funded victim and witness services. The witness service provides emotional and…
The hon. Member makes an important point. I would like to take this opportunity to put on the record my thanks to everyone who does their civic duty by taking part in jury service. Juries are a cornerstone of our justice system and carry out an important function. There is support available for juro…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
16 September 2025
2 contributions
Funeral Sector: Regulation
On 15 July, the Fuller inquiry recommended introducing statutory regulation for funeral directors. The Government recognise the urgency of the concerns raised and we are carefully considering all the recommendations. The Government have committed to responding to the inquiry with an interim update o…
The whole House will be utterly horrified at the cases of Zoe and Cody and what they have had to go through. Dignity for our deceased should be upheld by all as something of fundamental importance. My colleagues and I are committed to ensuring that we get funeral regulation right, and I am working o…
Commons
Oral Questions
Justice
16 September 2025
7 contributions
Support for Victims of Rape and Sexual Violence
It is vital that victims feel supported at court. The Ministry of Justice funds the national witness service, which provides support on the day of trial, and independent sexual violence advocates can accompany victims while they are in the courtroom. Pre-trial, victims can receive support from victi…
I thank my hon. Friend for that important question. She is a tireless advocate for all victims of violence against women and girls. She will know that this Government are committed to supporting those victims in court through measures such as section 28, the witness service and our victim liaison of…
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
Women and Equalities
3 September 2025
3 contributions
Domestic Abuse Aggravated Offences
The Government are absolutely committed to tackling the scourge of domestic abuse and halving violence against women and girls in a decade. We are implementing a domestic abuse identifier at sentencing to ensure consistent recognition of domestic abuse offenders across the whole justice system. That…
I thank the hon. Gentleman for that question and for all his work to amplify the voices of victims and survivors. Like him, I am sickened by the treatment of the majority of women and girls who go through this in our criminal justice system. He will know that we inherited a criminal justice system i…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
3 September 2025
6 contributions
Duty of Candour for Public Authorities and Legal Representation for Bereaved Families
It is a pleasure to serve with you in the Chair, Mrs Hobhouse. I pay tribute to my fellow Red, my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool West Derby (Ian Byrne). His tireless campaigning on behalf of victims and survivors—the 97, the Grenfell families, the MEN arena families and every family failed by …
I am grateful for that question. I have heard the frustration and anger, both in this place and outside it, in relation to the need to introduce this quickly and urgently, but we have also heard directly from families about the need to get this right. It is our opportunity to do this, once and for a…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
8 July 2025
6 contributions
Topical Questions
My hon. Friend outlines exactly why we have asked Sir Brian Leveson to conduct a review into the criminal courts; the ambition is to reduce the length of time victims have to wait for justice. We are expecting the recommendations of that review shortly. We are supporting victims by funding key suppo…
I place on record my thanks to all the brilliant victim support services that do tremendous work in incredibly difficult circumstances to ensure that victims get the support they need to stay engaged with the criminal justice system. We have protected dedicated Ministry of Justice spending on victim…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
8 July 2025
6 contributions
Violence against Women: Criminal Justice System
We are funding police support services such as independent sexual advisers and domestic abuse advisers. We have launched domestic abuse protection orders in selected areas, and, as recommended by the sentencing review, we are exploring the possibility of expanding the use of domestic abuse specialis…
The hon. Member has made the important point that this is not just a criminal justice problem to be solved, but a problem for every single Department. That is why we have a cross-Government strategy on tackling violence against women and girls, which includes economic abuse. Along with the Safeguard…
+4 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
18 June 2025
2 contributions
Marriage between First Cousins
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dame Siobhain. I thank the right hon. Member for Basildon and Billericay (Mr Holden) for securing this important debate and commend him for all his brilliant work to support women, in the previous Parliament and going forward. I know that he feels stro…
I totally agree with the right hon. Member. He makes a very powerful point, which speaks to why we need to look at this issue very carefully. With certain groups engaging in this practice, we cannot just have a knee-jerk reaction; he mentioned that in his speech. Others are calling for me to have a …
Commons
Debate
17 June 2025
3 contributions
Crime and Policing Bill
Let me begin by emphasising that all women in England and Wales can access safe, regulated abortions on the NHS under our current laws. I also recognise and respect that there are strongly held views across the House on this highly sensitive issue, and I welcome the considered and informed debate we…
I apologise, but I will not. We are really short on time.
It would also not be a criminal offence for a woman to intentionally deceive a registered medical practitioner about the gestation of her pregnancy in order to procure abortion pills by post beyond the 10-week time limit. It would remain an …
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
17 June 2025
5 contributions
Victims and Courts Bill (Second sitting)
Q Thank you for giving evidence today. Can I take you back to the restriction of parental responsibility? Farah, you mentioned the impact that issues around parental responsibility are having, particularly on domestic abuse victims and children. Our measure in the Bill is quite tight. We have kept i…
Q Thank you. That is really important.
I want to take you on to the victim helpline and the victim contact scheme. Suky, the Bill will for the first time ever bring victims of stalking and harassment into the victim contact scheme, regardless of sentence. What difference will that make to victims a…
+3 more contributions in this session
Commons
Committee Stage
17 June 2025
10 contributions
Victims and Courts Bill (First sitting)
Q Thank you, Sarah, for coming to give evidence to us today. How do you think the measures currently in the Bill will help with the prosecutorial capacity issue that we have at the moment?
Sarah Hammond: We welcome the focus in the Bill on broadening the pool of professionals who are eligible to be…
Q What do you see as being the future benefits of having extra capacity within the CPS as a result of the measures in the Bill?
Sarah Hammond: It will allow us to recruit. We were very pleased with the settlement that we received in the spending review, which gives us the capacity to take the legal…
+8 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
12 June 2025
3 contributions
Humanist Marriage
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Dame Siobhain. I start by thanking my hon. Friends the Members for Tamworth (Sarah Edwards) and for Morecambe and Lunesdale (Lizzi Collinge), and the hon. Member for Henley and Thame (Freddie van Mierlo), for securing this important—and, may I say, rea…
It is important to ensure we do this properly. I am against any piecemeal reform here. If we are to do this, we need to do it properly and together, so that it is succinct. There are ways that that can be done, as I am about to come on to.
I acknowledge the calls made during this debate for the Gov…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
3 June 2025
4 contributions
Topical Questions
I thank my hon. Friend for that vital question. We are giving judges the statutory power to order offenders to attend their sentencing hearings. We are also making it clear that reasonable force can be used, where it is necessary and proportionate to do so, to ensure that any adult offender attends …
My sympathies are with my hon. Friend’s constituent. It is vital that victims are notified. Those victims who are currently eligible for the victim notification scheme should be given a victim liaison officer to find out about their cases, but we know that there is more to do. We are bringing forwar…
+2 more contributions in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
3 June 2025
2 contributions
Weddings: Humanist Celebrants
Humanists have long campaigned to conduct legally binding weddings, and we are grateful for the contribution they make to our society. Marriage is an important institution and we have to consider any changes carefully. The Government will set out our position on weddings reform in due course.
No one will be more excited to don a hat for the first legally binding humanist wedding than me. However, we must consider whether legislating to provide for humanist marriage would introduce further differential treatment in this complex area of law. That is why we need to make sure that we take th…
Commons
Oral Questions
3 June 2025
3 contributions
Victims of Sexual Abuse
We fund key support services, such as independent sexual violence and domestic abuse advisers. The Crown Prosecution Service has introduced victim liaison officers to ensure that victims of rape and serious sexual offences have a consistent point of contact throughout the criminal justice system. We…
My hon. Friend is right. As the House knows, justice delayed is justice denied. That is why this Government have doubled magistrate sentencing powers and funded a record number of sitting days. However, the scale of the challenge is beyond what increased sitting days can achieve alone. That is why w…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Oral Questions
3 June 2025
7 contributions
Violent Offenders: Early Release
A victims’ representative was on the panel that conducted the independent sentencing review, which gathered views from victims and survivors. I personally met a number of victims and victim groups and fed their views directly back to David Gauke. Those serving sentences for more serious sexual and v…
That is not the case. What would be failing victims is if our criminal justice system got to the point of collapse and we did not have prison places for violent offenders. This Government are getting on with reforming our criminal justice system. We are putting victims at the heart of it to protect …
+5 more contributions in this session
Commons
Westminster Hall
2 June 2025
2 contributions
Decriminalising Abortion
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Dowd. I thank my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Tony Vaughan) for opening this debate. I echo the comments of the shadow Minister, the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle (Dr Mullan), on the tone of the debate on this to…
I will come back to my hon. Friend with that information once I have spoken to officials to find out the exact details. The Government remain neutral on the policy, but we are looking at the workability and practicality of the new clauses. I will discuss that with her at a later date.
Wherever one …
Commons
Debate
20 May 2025
3 contributions
Victims and Courts Bill
It is a true privilege to deliver the closing speech on Second Reading of the Victims and Courts Bill. I would like to start by paying tribute to the families of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, Jan Mustafa, Zara Aleena and Sabina Nessa, most of whom have been in the Gallery and whom I have had the privilege of…
My hon. Friend is a champion for the cause of protecting children going through the family courts, as is my hon. Friend the Member for Penistone and Stocksbridge (Dr Tidball), whose contribution today was equally powerful. Meeting her constituent Claire Throssell, and hearing the story of Jack and P…
+1 more contribution in this session
Commons
Debate
15 May 2025
2 contributions
Coroner Services: West Midlands
My condolences to you on your loss, Madam Deputy Speaker.
I congratulate the hon. Member for Birmingham Perry Barr (Ayoub Khan) on securing this important debate. I thank him for his emotive speech, and all hon. Members who contributed, representing the views of bereaved families, sometimes includi…
I appreciate the hon. Member’s contribution. As I have said, that guidance is there and that equipment is available to coroners if they deem it necessary. Of course, we want to see anything that will help speed up the process for families.
Although we want to wait a full year for the proper data ne…