Results 1-20 of 751 for in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates' speaker:Lord Beecham

Offender Rehabilitation Bill [HL] — Second Reading (20 May 2013)

Lord Beecham: Could the noble Lord clarify whether it is the intention to bring those details back to the House or to Parliament for approval? In what way will there be parliamentary scrutiny of the detail?

Offender Rehabilitation Bill [HL] — Second Reading (20 May 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, the whole House will join me in thanking the Minister for his very clear exposition of the Bill and the proposals relating to it, which do not appear in legislative form, and in welcoming efforts to reduce reoffending and its cost to the public purse and the life chances of the offenders themselves, and above all the damage to society at large and to the victims of crime in...

Queen’s Speech — Debate (2nd Day) (9 May 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, debates on the Queen’s Speech inevitably feature ministerial double acts. Today, the event stars the noble Lords, Lord Taylor and Lord McNally. The genre is, of course, a familiar one. We think perhaps of Neil Simon’s “The Odd Couple” or the Geordie comedy “The Likely Lads”, though perhaps “The Likely Lords” would be a more appropriate...

Judicial Review — Question (23 April 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, does the Minister agree with the observation of the Master of the Rolls, Lord Dyson, that there is no principle more basic to our system of law than the maintenance of the rule of law itself and the constitutional protection afforded by judicial review? When will the Government publish their response to the consultation on their proposals, and can the Minister indicate whether the...

Prisoners: Indeterminate Sentences — Question (23 April 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, what is the Government's estimate of the number of prisoners to whom the judgment in the European Court of Human Rights case of James, Wells and Lee v UK applies? Have the Government estimated the cost of providing sufficient resources to comply with the requirement to ensure that prisoners have an opportunity to progress and to be properly assessed for release on licence?

Growth and Infrastructure Bill — Commons Reasons (22 April 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, I join others in welcoming the Government's partial, if deathbed, conversion to doing something about these proposals. I certainly endorse many of the comments that have been made about the problems that remain apparently unresolved. I particularly join the noble Lord, Lord Deben, in strongly urging the Government to look again at the issue of conservation areas, unless it is...

Civil Legal Aid (Procedure) Regulations 2012: Motion to Regret (27 March 2013)

Lord Beecham: My suggestion was that a freephone system might be adopted. Have the Government considered that; if so, will they consider it again?

Civil Legal Aid (Procedure) Regulations 2012: Motion to Regret (27 March 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, I am pleased to join my noble and learned friend Lady Scotland and the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson, in expressing concern and regret at the situation which potentially confronts so many people in both the categories to which these Motions refer. The Motion of the noble Baroness, Lady Grey-Thompson, refers specifically to, “legal aid services for disabled persons”,...

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Amendment of Schedule 1) Order 2013: Motion to Approve (27 March 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, this debate consists of two parts. The first is the regret Motion tabled by my noble friend Lord Bach, which deals with a particular decision. I do not want to say any more about that other than that I entirely support the magisterial rebuke that he administers not to the Minister, who of course does not have a free hand in these matters, but to the Government at large for denying a...

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Commons Amendments (26 March 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, I support the amendments moved by the noble Lord, Lord Marks, and I am prepared to say at this stage that I will not be pressing my own amendment, which is on similar terms at least to the last amendment that the noble Lord has moved. The noble Lord, Lord Butler, has adumbrated a case in which it would seem almost that the doctrine that no Parliament can bind its successor is...

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Commons Amendments (26 March 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, your Lordships will be at one with the noble and learned Lord, Lord Mackay of Clashfern, in agreeing that it is the prime duty of government to protect the national security. That is currently being achieved by a variety of means, including PII. It would continue to be achieved under the terms of this amendment if your Lordships' House agrees to it and if that is confirmed by the...

Justice and Security Bill [HL]: Commons Amendments (26 March 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, I wish to speak to Amendment 6A as an amendment to Amendment 6. During the Second Reading debate on the Bill I referred to the obvious difficulty that your Lordships faced in calibrating the balance between the two desiderata of justice and security. There were some then, as there are now, who took the view that such an exercise was unnecessary, and indeed wrong in principle, and...

Crime and Courts Bill [HL] — Commons Amendments (25 March 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, I join the noble Baroness in welcoming the Government's moves to tighten up the arrangements for bailiffs. Like her, however, I regret that they have failed to take the ultimate step of establishing a clear and relatively straightforward regulatory system. I am slightly puzzled by some aspects of their response to the consultation. For example, in paragraph 18 of their response, the...

Crime and Courts Bill [HL] — Commons Amendments (25 March 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, I will confine myself to two topics. Taken in reverse order of importance, the first is what has become known in common parlance as "bash the burglar" legislation. The Minister emphasised the need for bringing this measure into force as quickly as possible. Given the paucity of cases to which this would apply, as we discussed when we were debating the Bill, I find this to be little...

Crime and Courts Bill [HL] — Commons Amendments (25 March 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, I endorse what has been said by noble Lords, particularly the noble and learned Lord, Lord Lloyd. We have here a situation that is uncomfortably analogous to that which applies to the Jobseekers (Back to Work Schemes) Bill, whereby these Commons amendments are, in effect, being treated as if they were emergency legislation. Admittedly, they do not have retrospective effect, which I...

Prisons: New Prisons — Question (20 March 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, will the Minister ensure that in addition to being environmentally sustainable, new prisons are located in places that are not too far removed from the places whence the prisoners have come and where they might find jobs after their release?

European Convention on Human Rights — Question (7 March 2013)

Lord Beecham: Can the Minister match his welcome, unequivocal statement that there is no intention to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights on the question of repeal of the Human Rights Act? Will he confirm that the Government have no intention to seek to repeal the Act?

Growth and Infrastructure Bill: Report (1st Day) (27 February 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, I endorse my noble friend's amendment and refer for the third or fourth time to what used to be available to local authorities in the form of planning development grant to improve and sustain the capacity of planning departments, which now, like every other local government department, have come under severe pressure due to increasing financial constraints. Will the Minister turn...

Israel and Palestine — Question for Short Debate (7 February 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, I declare an interest as vice-chairman of the New Israel Fund UK, which supports a wide range of civil society organisations in Israel, including ACRI, which was mentioned by the noble Baroness, Lady Falkner. My late wife was heavily involved in and I support an organisation called Windows for Peace, which brings together young Jewish and Arab Israelis and Palestinians. It is...

Education: Curriculum, Exam and Accountability Reform — Statement (7 February 2013)

Lord Beecham: My Lords, given that it is the Government's apparent aspiration for the vast majority of, if not all, schools to become academies, what is the rationale for excluding them from the operation of the national curriculum?