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My Lords, this matter has been sitting on the Lord Chancellor’s desk—somewhat clunkily, as the noble Lord puts it—for some three months. Does he think that a three-month delay, with its attendant uncertainty, is good for the Family Division?
My Lords, this matter has been sitting on the Lord Chancellor’s desk—somewhat clunkily, as the noble Lord puts it—for some three months. Does he think that a three-month delay, with its attendant uncertainty, is good for the Family Division?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
23 March 2010
My Lords, the Lord Chancellor’s policy is to maintain strict confidentiality in relation to individual appointments. The appointment will be announced after the Queen has approved it. That policy has been adopted and adhered to by successive Lord Chancellors. Therefore, I shall not comment on how long it has been on anyone’s desk. As far as we are concerned, the beginning of the process is in the public domain and it will end when the appointment is made. Other recent senior appointments, such as the President of the Supreme Court, Lord Chief Justice, President of the Queen’s Bench and others, have taken between three and eight months. Today we announced the appointment of Lord Justice Dyson, as a justice of the Supreme Court and that process took seven and a half months.
Subjects
Family courts; Judges; Public appointments; High Court; Family Division
Date
23 March 2010
Reference
718 c845
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
The noble Lord is being somewhat coy. He said that the Bill will come before the House in a couple of weeks’ time; I think that it comes before the House on 24 March for its Second Reading. When does the noble Lord think that it will reach Committee stage, when we can debate this matter in greater detail?
The noble Lord is being somewhat coy. He said that the Bill will come before the House in a couple of weeks’ time; I think that it comes before the House on 24 March for its Second Reading. When does the noble Lord think that it will reach Committee stage, when we can debate this matter in greater detail?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
9 March 2010
The noble Lord asks a most interesting question. I hope that we will move to Committee stage pretty quickly.
Subjects
Disclosure of information; Public records; 30 Year Rule Review
Date
9 March 2010
Reference
718 c134-5
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, can the noble Lord assist us further on the date of the election? He has answered a question from the Liberal Democrat Front Bench spokesman, who was suggesting that it might be in June to coincide with the local elections. The question relates to 6 May. Can he assist us as to which he thinks is most likely?
My Lords, can the noble Lord assist us further on the date of the election? He has answered a question from the Liberal Democrat Front Bench spokesman, who was suggesting that it might be in June to coincide with the local elections. The question relates to 6 May. Can he assist us as to which he thinks is most likely?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
23 February 2010
I think that I can help the noble Lord and the House on the date of the general election: it will be before 3 June this year.
Subjects
Absent voting; Elections
Date
23 February 2010
Reference
717 c918-9
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, will the noble Lord continue to try to keep a straight face and tell us when the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill will come to this House, and whether he thinks that he can get it through before the general election?
My Lords, will the noble Lord continue to try to keep a straight face and tell us when the Constitutional Reform and Governance Bill will come to this House, and whether he thinks that he can get it through before the general election?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
10 February 2010
My Lords, when things happen in this House is for the business managers.
Subjects
Electoral systems; General elections; Reform
Date
10 February 2010
Reference
717 c730
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, noble Lords will remember that the Bribery Bill will receive its Third Reading on Tuesday. The Government have given a commitment that they will not bring it into effect until they have produced guidance for companies on how the Bill will operate. When do they think that guidance will come into effect?
My Lords, noble Lords will remember that the Bribery Bill will receive its Third Reading on Tuesday. The Government have given a commitment that they will not bring it into effect until they have produced guidance for companies on how the Bill will operate. When do they think that guidance will come into effect?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
4 February 2010
I am afraid that is a difficult question to answer exactly. We will move forward very quickly with the guidance. We want all parts of the Bill to come into effect as soon as possible, because it is part of our attempt to show that we are at the forefront of dealing with bribery of this kind.
Subjects
Corruption; Prosecutions; Overseas companies
Date
4 February 2010
Reference
717 c294
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, may I for once offer my congratulations to the Ministry of Justice on offering full consideration of this report, which came out only two weeks ago and needs a great deal of consultation? May I recommend that the Minister passes on such suggestions to his colleagues in the Department of Health, who might have done the same with their Personal Care at Home Bill?
My Lords, may I for once offer my congratulations to the Ministry of Justice on offering full consideration of this report, which came out only two weeks ago and needs a great deal of consultation? May I recommend that the Minister passes on such suggestions to his colleagues in the Department of Health, who might have done the same with their Personal Care at Home Bill?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
1 February 2010
For a moment I thought the noble Lord was making a serious point about the Jackson report, but I am afraid I was disappointed by the end.
Subjects
Civil proceedings; Legal costs; Civil Litigation Costs Review
Date
1 February 2010
Reference
717 c10
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, we are talking on this Question purely about private prosecutions being brought. Those private prosecutions, as we know, can do immense damage to our standing in the world. I am thinking of the recent occasion where a former Israeli Minister was unable to visit this country because of the threat of such a private prosecution. Could not the Government move somewhat more quickly in looking at the role of the Attorney-General and might it not have been possible for the Attorney-General herself to have answered this Question?
My Lords, we are talking on this Question purely about private prosecutions being brought. Those private prosecutions, as we know, can do immense damage to our standing in the world. I am thinking of the recent occasion where a former Israeli Minister was unable to visit this country because of the threat of such a private prosecution. Could not the Government move somewhat more quickly in looking at the role of the Attorney-General and might it not have been possible for the Attorney-General herself to have answered this Question?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
28 January 2010
My Lords, the Government are very much seized of the event and its consequences. The Foreign Secretary said: ""We are determined to protect and develop these ties … Israeli leaders—like leaders from other countries—must be able to visit and have a proper dialogue with the British Government"."
It is the Government’s wish that those things can take place. Nevertheless, we have this relatively unique private prosecution in UK law; it is in the same form only in Australia and New Zealand. We need to look at its role. There are these three things to look at together: universal jurisdiction, the matter of the leaders and private prosecution. Those three coming together do not make this a simple problem, which is why it is taking some time. The Government are seized of the need to address this with urgency.
Subjects
Attorney General; Private prosecutions; Politicians; European arrest warrants
Date
28 January 2010
Reference
716 c1519-20
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, in an earlier answer, the noble Lord told us that personation was a major problem in electoral fraud. Is he really saying that it is a worse problem than the fraud that we have in postal voting?
My Lords, in an earlier answer, the noble Lord told us that personation was a major problem in electoral fraud. Is he really saying that it is a worse problem than the fraud that we have in postal voting?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
19 January 2010
The number of cases where fraud is alleged in elections is incredibly small, and was even smaller in 2009 than in previous years. Of that very small number of complaints made, a considerable proportion was about personation.
Subjects
Fraud; General elections
Date
19 January 2010
Reference
716 c877
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, what is the point of having 76.6 per cent turnout if a vast proportion of that percentage is fraudulently voting?
My Lords, what is the point of having 76.6 per cent turnout if a vast proportion of that percentage is fraudulently voting?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
19 January 2010
My Lords, I am slightly gobsmacked by the noble Lord. Is he really suggesting that a large proportion of those who vote by post are voting fraudulently? If that is the official view of the Opposition, I am deeply shocked. Of course there are examples of fraud in postal voting, just as there is sometimes personation at polling stations. We are going to be dealing with that in a few minutes. We are delighted that turnout is increased by the fact that postal voting is now much easier than it was when the noble Lord’s Government were in power.
Subjects
Absent voting; General elections; Timetables
Date
19 January 2010
Reference
716 c875
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, can the Minister give the House some idea of the size of the problem that we are facing? Can he confirm the figures that I have, which indicate that some 35 per cent of all prisoners leaving prison have some sort of drug problem or drug addiction?
My Lords, can the Minister give the House some idea of the size of the problem that we are facing? Can he confirm the figures that I have, which indicate that some 35 per cent of all prisoners leaving prison have some sort of drug problem or drug addiction?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
16 December 2009
My Lords, I am afraid that I cannot confirm that figure, but I can give these figures: at the latest count, 69 per cent of those who enter prison had taken drugs within the previous 12 months, which may not be an enormous surprise to the House, but 55 per cent of those entering prison have some sort of drug dependency problem. They are not necessarily on what are normally described on hard drugs, but a large number of them will be. No one is pretending that this is not a great problem.
Subjects
Compensation; Drugs; Prisoners; Prisons; Misuse
Date
16 December 2009
Reference
715 c1522
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, does the Minister accept—I think that he partially did in his first Answer—that the real problem is the costs in libel cases, particularly the very high costs in London, rather than necessarily any problems within libel law itself?
My Lords, does the Minister accept—I think that he partially did in his first Answer—that the real problem is the costs in libel cases, particularly the very high costs in London, rather than necessarily any problems within libel law itself?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
1 December 2009
Being a Whip, I have had to learn all about this in the past two days. I do not accept that any one of these issues is quite as heavy as the noble Lord suggests. There would be no magnet to London if our balance were the same as that in the US. These libels will be prosecuted at the appropriate place. There is no question, though, but that cost is a serious issue. The costs are accentuated by the conditional fee agreement with the 100 per cent uplift and the after-the-event insurance, which could be 65 per cent of the cost, meaning that the defendant can end up with 165 per cent more costs than were actually incurred. It is undoubtedly true that the costs are a substantial part of the chilling effect.
Subjects
Defamation; Jurisdiction; Prosecutions
Date
1 December 2009
Reference
715 c674
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, on these Benches we agree with the noble Baroness. This House and another place are very different. Does the noble Baroness agree—as I think she will—that it would, therefore, be inappropriate to impose the same regulatory system on both Houses, as is faintly proposed in recommendation 26?
My Lords, on these Benches we agree with the noble Baroness. This House and another place are very different. Does the noble Baroness agree—as I think she will—that it would, therefore, be inappropriate to impose the same regulatory system on both Houses, as is faintly proposed in recommendation 26?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
1 December 2009
Yes, my Lords, I agree that at present the two Houses are constituted differently and are very different Chambers. Therefore, it would not be appropriate for both Houses to be under the same authority. If this House were constituted differently, that would be a different issue.
Subjects
House of Lords; Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority
Date
1 December 2009
Reference
715 c680
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, will the Minister confirm—I think that he will—that following the judgment there is no obligation on this country to give the vote to all prisoners? We can limit it to some prisoners and that "some" can be very limited.
My Lords, will the Minister confirm—I think that he will—that following the judgment there is no obligation on this country to give the vote to all prisoners? We can limit it to some prisoners and that "some" can be very limited.
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
12 November 2009
I can confirm what the noble Lord, Lord Henley, has put to me—he is absolutely right. The European Court of Human Rights did not say which prisoners should be given the vote. The court held that the blanket ban was unlawful—of course we accept that—but expressly recognised that each member state has some discretion as to who should be given the vote. It is on that basis that the second consultation has been held.
Subjects
Prisoners; Public consultation; Voting rights
Date
12 November 2009
Reference
714 c896
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, we know from the publication of leaked documents earlier this week, to which the Minister referred yesterday, that the Minister’s department is trying to make savings in its rather bloated costs. How is the department hoping to make savings in an area such as this one and will this not actually end up increasing costs to the taxpayer by increasing the amount of recidivism and all those matters and probably increasing the number of people who have to go back to prison in future?
My Lords, we know from the publication of leaked documents earlier this week, to which the Minister referred yesterday, that the Minister’s department is trying to make savings in its rather bloated costs. How is the department hoping to make savings in an area such as this one and will this not actually end up increasing costs to the taxpayer by increasing the amount of recidivism and all those matters and probably increasing the number of people who have to go back to prison in future?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
4 November 2009
My Lords, one way in which we intend to make savings is by implementing a much more streamlined regional and national structure for the Prison Service, which will save £20 million this year, with further savings planned for next year. That will free up resources for essential frontline work in prisons and probation. However, I have to throw the question back to the noble Lord to some extent. His party’s schemes for prisons would add something like 15,000 prisoners overnight to the prison population and would cost more than £2 billion. I also understand that this part of his party’s policy is not one of those parts that it has said will not have cuts. I am not sure where his party stands on this issue. Is it prepared to spend the extra money—
Is it prepared to spend this extra money? The fact remains that it is talking big but in fact would do nothing.
Subjects
Inspections; HM Inspectorate of Prisons; Standards; HMP Garth
Date
4 November 2009
Reference
714 c252
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, following on from what the noble Lord, Lord Howarth, said about people being alienated from the electoral process, does the Minister accept that his Government’s policies are wrong, particularly on matters such as immigration—even the Home Secretary has admitted that—and have been wrong over the past few years, which has led to support for fringe parties such as the BNP and, as the noble Lord, Lord Howarth, said, to a large number of people being alienated from the voting process?
My Lords, following on from what the noble Lord, Lord Howarth, said about people being alienated from the electoral process, does the Minister accept that his Government’s policies are wrong, particularly on matters such as immigration—even the Home Secretary has admitted that—and have been wrong over the past few years, which has led to support for fringe parties such as the BNP and, as the noble Lord, Lord Howarth, said, to a large number of people being alienated from the voting process?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
3 November 2009
My Lords, I do not agree at all with what the noble Lord suggests. The fact is that all political parties from time to time face the onslaught of the media, including individual and party politicians. That is a danger which we all face in a democracy such as ours. For the noble Lord to categorise one aspect of policy as if that somehow led to one result does not give enough seriousness to the issue we face.
Subjects
Elections; Public consultation; Voting behaviour
Date
3 November 2009
Reference
714 c121
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, to assist the House in appreciating whether this new creation has been value for money, will the noble Lord remind the House just how much the capital costs have been in creating this new Supreme Court and what the additional costs of running this will be, over and above what they would have been if left in this House?
My Lords, to assist the House in appreciating whether this new creation has been value for money, will the noble Lord remind the House just how much the capital costs have been in creating this new Supreme Court and what the additional costs of running this will be, over and above what they would have been if left in this House?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
20 July 2009
My Lords, the set-up costs are £58.9 million, a figure which the House knows about and has been agreed. We are coming in within cost and I know that the noble Lord will be delighted to hear that. Running costs for the Supreme Court will be £12.3 million per year. This year, an extra £1.2 million for estimated national insurance contributions and pension contributions of the Law Lords will be transferred from another fund to those running costs. I do not think that the emergence of the Supreme Court will mean that it will cost the taxpayer much more money.
The new court is a fantastic symbol on Parliament Square. It will bring together the legislature on one side of this historic square, the Executive on another, the judiciary now will be on the third and, of course, the established Church is on the fourth.
Subjects
Supreme Court
Date
20 July 2009
Reference
712 c1376
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, I am interested to hear the noble Lord describe this as "a real consultation"; I imagine that the other consultations that his department has conducted were fakes. Who in the entire profession—whether it is the Bar Council, the Law Society or the Criminal Bar Association—supports the best value tendering scheme?
My Lords, I am interested to hear the noble Lord describe this as "a real consultation"; I imagine that the other consultations that his department has conducted were fakes. Who in the entire profession—whether it is the Bar Council, the Law Society or the Criminal Bar Association—supports the best value tendering scheme?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
23 June 2009
My Lords, not long ago the Conservative Party supported it; perhaps it will be good enough to tell us if it has changed its mind. As I said, we are consulting on the BVT scheme and we will find out whether it is workable and whether it is what we should be doing. I have to tell the House that the legal aid budget is limited and, at a time of recession, we need to spend more not less on social welfare law—that is, law that looks after those with debt needs, housing needs and employment needs. I hope that the House will accept that, while there is a lot of pressure on the fund, those are the areas in which you should not cut back.
Subjects
Criminal proceedings; Barristers; Fees and charges; Legal aid scheme; Pay
Date
23 June 2009
Reference
711 c1454
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, the noble Lord has been asked what conclusions the Government have drawn from the growing involvement of British expatriates and others in the European elections. What conclusions have they drawn from their own dire performance in those elections, and will they bring on a general election?
My Lords, the noble Lord has been asked what conclusions the Government have drawn from the growing involvement of British expatriates and others in the European elections. What conclusions have they drawn from their own dire performance in those elections, and will they bring on a general election?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
22 June 2009
My Lords, our performance was not good, but that of the noble Lord’s party, at 27 per cent, was not a result of which they can be very proud. It comforts me slightly that in 1999 the Conservatives got a full 7 per cent more than that—34 per cent. Two years later they were well beaten in a general election, and in 2004 they got 26.7 per cent. Less than a year after that, they were thrashed again.
Subjects
Candidates; British nationality; EU countries; Elections; European Parliament; Overseas residence
Date
22 June 2009
Reference
711 c1349
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, the Government announced some time ago that they were bringing in Titan prisons to save money. They then announced that they would have mini-Titans to save money. They are now bringing in Titans by the back door, from what the Minister said about the amalgamated Isle of Sheppey prison. Can the Government just tell us what they are up to?
My Lords, the Government announced some time ago that they were bringing in Titan prisons to save money. They then announced that they would have mini-Titans to save money. They are now bringing in Titans by the back door, from what the Minister said about the amalgamated Isle of Sheppey prison. Can the Government just tell us what they are up to?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
10 June 2009
My Lords, we are not bringing Titan prisons in by the back door. Prisons in the Isle of Wight and Isle of Sheppey clusters have retained their own separate perimeters. That is one major difference. They have not merged to become a single prison establishment. That is a second big difference. These efficiencies come from new approaches to sharing management and overheads on these neighbouring sites and by integrating the delivery of some of the regime activities and programmes for prisoners. Surely if that is what these savings are doing, they are worth while. The House has stressed on many occasions the importance of keeping prison programmes at a high level and covering all prisoners.
Subjects
Cost effectiveness; Prisons; HM Prison Service
Date
10 June 2009
Reference
711 c631
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords
My Lords, later this afternoon, we understand that the noble Lord will come to the House to make a U-turn on Titan prisons, so as to save the Government a bit more money and impose more strains on the Prison Service. How long will it be before he comes back to this House to make a further Statement on that alleged 18 per cent increase in money for the parole system—it is very necessary—to reduce the pressure on prisons?
My Lords, later this afternoon, we understand that the noble Lord will come to the House to make a U-turn on Titan prisons, so as to save the Government a bit more money and impose more strains on the Prison Service. How long will it be before he comes back to this House to make a further Statement on that alleged 18 per cent increase in money for the parole system—it is very necessary—to reduce the pressure on prisons?
Asked by
Lord Henley
(Conservative)
Oral questions - Supplementary
Status
Answered
Answered on
27 April 2009
My Lords, I am delighted that the noble Lord supports the 18 per cent increase in the budget for the Parole Board in 2009-10. I presume that if it should ever happen that his party is in power, it would not dream of cutting that. Perhaps he could give a response to that later. I will be coming to the House and the noble Lord will have to be patient.
Subjects
Administrative delays; Parole
Date
27 April 2009
Reference
710 c5
Chamber / Committee
House of Lords chamber
House
House of Lords