Speeches by Slaughter.

“Thank you very much, Chair. I will anticipate one of your questions by saying that I think I slightly misunderstood the rules, so I got my Select Committee to sign up, and only two Conservatives were there. That is why there is only one Conservative name on the list. I don’t think I will have any problem, because I the…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. There is a conflict between some of the Government’s political instincts. They say that Israel is an ally, but sometimes we have to speak as strongly to our friends as we do to our enemies. The reality is that the UK has particular responsibilities, such as historical responsibilitie…”

“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Alloa and Grangemouth (Brian Leishman) for securing this timely debate. It is not too onerous to have two minutes for a speech on this occasion, because there is really only one question to ask: when will the Government respond to the advisory opinion? Yes, it is a very significant…”

“I am grateful to the Minister for being so generous with her time, as she was in meeting the safer knives group to discuss this issue. I am not expecting a policy position today, but perhaps she could say when the Government are likely to come forward with proposals on the scourge of knife crime that is affecting us.”

“The hon. Gentleman is making an excellent speech, and he has identified that there is no one solution to this. The Scotland example shows what can be done, but there are some practical measures that can be taken. For example, half of all homicides with sharp instruments are done with kitchen knives, and that simply has…”

“Can we have a statement on knife crime, and particularly the proposal for knives to be sold with rounded or blunted tips to reduce the risk of death or serious injury if they are used as a weapon? Will the Leader of the House join me in congratulating Idris Elba, whose powerful documentary “Our Knife Crime Crisis” rais…”

“Since the ceasefire in Gaza, there has been open warfare against civilians in the west bank, dehumanising of the whole Palestinian population, and the threat of ethnic cleansing through a second Nakba. Surely we can expect a proportionate response from the UK Government, starting with the advisory opinion, recognition …”

“The criminal legal aid advisory board has asked the Government to raise fees in rape and serious sexual offences cases to address the shortage of advocates. Prosecutors often earn 30% to 40% less than defence barristers in the same case. Does the Solicitor General think that she should have a look at fees to ensure tha…”

“May I congratulate the Chief Secretary on his statement but add a word of caution about his plans for Heathrow? Will he ensure that there is a full cost-benefit analysis of any plans for a third runway which looks at the cost to the climate, to public health and to the already saturated transport infrastructure? Almost…”

“Does the Minister agree that plans for the third runway have gone cold over the past decade, since the airport commission? As he says, there is not even an application for a development consent order. Does he agree that there is no chance of spades in the ground this Parliament? If there were, that is when the problems…”

“We have just witnessed the chair of the Criminal Cases Review Commission being prised out of her job, six months after the Secretary of State described her as “unable to fulfil her duties”. When will a new chair be appointed, and will this be accompanied by a wider review of the CCRC, to restore confidence in that dama…”

“The Secretary of State has announced two major reviews of the criminal justice system—the Leveson review and the Gauke review—and has said that, very impressively, they might report by the spring, which could be 1 March. There is a difference between reporting and taking action, so could she set out exactly when she ex…”

“Why did you extend the lease for 25 years?”

“Do they require any supervision or monitoring other than purely electronic for the person serving that sentence, which, again, may be either an alternative to or early release from custody? Do you have confidence in the companies that are running those? Serco is the one that springs to mind.”

“There is also SDS40. Yes, there are, but my point is that these things, even in combination, are not resolving the crisis. You presumably are not allowed to put figures in that say, “Well, we hope to reduce recidivism by 10% over the next 10 years, so we will account for that”.”

“Thank you very much.”

“That implies that you are sure that matters can be resolved.”

“When do we get to hear about that? Presumably you are in a fairly constant narrative with the Gauke review, for example, because you would not want it to come up with recommendations that would increase the prison population. If that dialogue is going on, will anything be published prior to the sentencing review report…”

“What planning are you doing for additional costs?”

“We have been told that both of the major reviews are reporting in the spring, which seems very quick, but there could be legislative implications of them. It will take time to introduce the measures they suggest. You might suspect what measures will come in but you do not know. What planning are you able to do, and whe…”