Speeches by Davies-Jones.

“I thank the hon. Lady for raising the issue regarding the Chinook disaster. I recently had the privilege of meeting the bereaved families of the Chinook disaster, and I want to pay tribute to them and their tenacious campaigning to uncover the truth of what happened to their loved ones. I am deeply pleased that the Pri…”

“I beg to move, That if, at the conclusion of this Session of Parliament, proceedings on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill have not been completed, they shall be resumed in the next Session. This motion is purely procedural, to allow the Bill to be carried over to the next Session and for the remaining stages to t…”

“I welcome the hon. Gentleman’s comments. I was not inadvertently misleading the House; if he looks at the details of Lords amendment 5C, he will see that that is not what it does. The amendment does not simply extend the time limit—it does much more—and it does not extend the time limit for everyone. As I will explain …”

“I am grateful once again to have the opportunity to speak on the Victims and Courts Bill. As I have said previously in this House, this is fundamentally a Bill for victims. Throughout the Bill’s passage, we have heard the experiences and views of victims and bereaved families and we have listened. I know for that fact …”

“That will ensure that Parliament is not constrained in granting an enabling power that can be exercised in a proportionate, practical and effective way. For those reasons, I urge Members to support the motions and the Government amendments. I commend the Bill to the House.”

“With the leave of the House, I will close this really important and special debate. It moves us another step closer to this Bill becoming a much-needed law for all victims, and I sincerely thank all hon. Members who have spoken, particularly my hon. Friends the Members for Blackpool North and Fleetwood (Lorraine Beaver…”

“I will be attending.”

“I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. This Bill goes beyond party politics; this is a Bill, as I have said, for victims. It has been a sincere pleasure to work across political divides to get this right for victims, who are rightly at the heart of the Bill. I have always stated that I will work with anyone from …”

“Lords amendment 4B would require the Ministry of Justice to publish an impact assessment before making any regulations. The Government fully recognise the importance of transparency. However, we do not consider that this amendment is appropriately framed in its drafting for the established process. Nevertheless, we rec…”

“I appreciate that clarification. The hon. Gentleman is correct, but Lords amendment 5C does much more than that, through listening to victims campaigners such as Tracey Hanson and Katie Brett directly. The measure is a direct tribute to them, because for them the status quo was neither fair nor acceptable. I would also…”

“I beg to move, That this House disagrees with Lords amendments 4B and 4C.”

“I welcome the hon. Gentleman’s intervention. He will know that my family have also faced tragedy and bereavement at the hands of the IRA. My cousin was killed on Horse Guards Parade serving this country by a serving member of the IRA, and that issue has plagued my family for decades and still hurts to this very day. I …”

“The negative procedure strikes the right balance. It ensures that regulations are laid before Parliament; that they are subject to scrutiny, including from the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee; and that they may be challenged, debated and annulled where concerns arise. It gives Parliament a clear mechanism to i…”

“Our amendment in lieu will first place in primary legislation a statutory duty on the Lord Chancellor to consult before laying any secondary legislation to set rates. There will be full and thorough public consultation, and the Government will publish a full response as part of the process of setting any rates. The mea…”

“I want to thank peers in the other place for their careful consideration of clause 12. We understand that these amendments seek transparency and scrutiny of any regulations that set the rates at which private prosecutors can recover costs from central funds. However, the Government are unable to accept the amendments o…”

“Overall, the changes respond directly to long-standing calls for a more transparent and accessible process. They will ensure that victims are informed about the scheme and that where the 28‑day deadline cannot be met, there is a fair route to apply within six months where the interests of justice demand it. These measu…”

“Lords amendment 4C would make any regulations to set the rates at which private prosecutors can recover costs from central funds subject to the affirmative, rather than negative, procedure. I fully recognise the desire for parliamentary scrutiny, and the Government are committed to ensuring that any use of this power i…”

“Secondly, we will also introduce a statutory duty to notify victims of the existence of the unduly lenient sentence scheme. The victims code will ensure that those most impacted by the crime know their right to ask the Attorney General to consider referring a sentence review. Together, these two amendments deliver what…”

“First, we are introducing an “out of time” route, which will allow victims and bereaved family members to ask the Attorney General to consider referring a sentence for review where they were unable to act within the existing 28‑day time limit and where doing so is in the interests of justice. This route will be availab…”

“To Tracey and Katie, we again thank you for your engagement throughout this process. Tracey, many of the changes we see today have been achieved in no small part because of your tireless campaigning in memory of Josh. I also thank the Victims’ Commissioner, Baroness Brinton and the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Bla…”