Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: My Lords, the noble Baroness, Lady Berridge, has come up with a very practical solution to this potential problem. Can the noble Lord undertake to the House and the noble Baroness that he will look at her suggestion and come up with a more considered answer?
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: My Lords, the Minister said he has no powers to intervene. He also said there is a judicial process in which he does not want to intervene. Can he give the House a date by which that judicial process will start?
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: My Lords, does the Minister accept that nitrous oxide is a gateway drug and may well lead to young people in particular moving on to other drugs which are even more harmful? Does he also accept that the courts and the police force find it difficult to deal with the multitude of available drugs, which are constantly changing, so there needs to be huge vigilance to try to understand the range...
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: My Lords, I appreciate the significant concessions the Government have made on serious disruption prevention orders. I believe that the clause is in a better place than when it was introduced, in part thanks to the efforts across this House; in particular, those of the noble Lord, Lord Anderson. My amendment to the Minister’s Motion D seeks to make it explicit in the Bill that a...
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: I beg leave to withdraw the Motion. Motion D1 (as an amendment to Motion D) withdrawn. Motion D agreed. Bill returned to the Commons with amendments.
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: My Lords, we in the Labour Party support these statutory instruments because we believe we need stronger action to tackle dangerous lorry crossings, crack down on criminal smuggler gangs and secure the UK’s borders. Given that the maximum penalty levels have not risen since 2002, we believe it is right to look at these levels as we are now. However, the Government have said that these...
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: My Lords, the High Court’s decision affects about 2.6 million people granted pre-settled status. Will the Government now ensure that the plan to be put in place will be quick and that settled EU citizens do not risk having their right to live here put in any jeopardy? Can the Minister say what he means by “in due course”?
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: My Lords, the noble and learned Lord will be aware that the time taken to reach a financial settlement following a divorce is often far greater than that taken for the divorce itself. The noble and learned Lord will also be aware that children often suffer badly from family breakdown and its consequences, particularly when there is an acrimonious and protracted divorce. Legal aid is currently...
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: To ask His Majesty's Government, how many parents whose children were subject to applications to deprive them of their liberty under (1) the inherent jurisdiction of the High Court, and (2) a secure accommodation order, were legally represented during the court proceedings in the last five years; and what percentage of such parents this represents.
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: I wish to test the opinion of the House. Ayes 146, Noes 211.
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: I agree that it demands justification, which is that when terrorists carry out their activities, they are attacking in a random way the state itself. The attacks against women to which the noble Baroness referred are of course totally reprehensible, but do not attack the state in any way. They attack women for what they are and those offences are, of course, taken extremely seriously. I...
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: My Lords, we in the Opposition are accepting the principle that terrorism is uniquely terrible and needs to be dealt with in that way. However, my amendment calls for a review of the impact of this on certain lower-level cases.
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: We need a review because we do not know what the impact is unless we have looked at the data. It seems to be as simple as that.
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: As the noble Lord knows, the amendment is calling for a review to look at the practical impact of the proposed legislation. We have yet to hear from the Minister on whether the Government accept that a review is necessary.
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: My Lords, these clauses restrict access to civil legal aid for convicted terrorists, although there are exemptions to this, such as when the convicted terrorist is under 18. I welcome government Amendments 184 and 186, where the Minister has made a further concession regarding people who have been victims of domestic violence and domestic abuse. While we support the principle that terrorists...
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: My Lords, there seems to be a new approach to Ministers by buttering them up. I noticed my noble friend buttering up the noble and learned Lord, Lord Bellamy, the other day, which seemed to cause amusement in the House. Nevertheless, I too thank the Minister for his response to the earlier concerns raised. The primary tier of FIRS requires the registration of “arrangements to carry out...
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: My Lords, the enhanced tier of FIRS requires the registration of arrangements to carry out any activity in the UK, or for future activities to be carried out in the UK, at the direction of a specified foreign power or entity. It also requires activities carried out by specified entities to be registered. I too am grateful for how the Government have responded, following concerns that this...
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for the Statement which he just read out; there is much to welcome in it. I add my thanks to all those mentioned in it. Above all, the Government’s action yesterday is a tribute to the heroic campaigning of the Hillsborough families over decades. However, as the families themselves have said, the Government have not gone far enough. Your Lordships...
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: Before the noble Lord sits down, could he say when we might expect the victims Bill?
Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede: My Lords, the Minister is correct in saying that there are 23 identified Ministry of Justice items on the Government’s dashboard, and that was as of 28 February. Is the Minister satisfied that the Ministry of Justice review of the relevant legislation from the ministry’s point of view is complete and that that number of 23 will be the end of the story?
