Speeches by Tapp.

“I would like to touch on the Crown court backlogs. In the absence of the official published data, what is the CPS estimate of the size of the Crown court backlogs?”

“Thank you. How far into the future are the trials being listed?”

“Thank you. If I could touch on a similar but not the same issue, since the Hamas attacks in October, we have seen antisemitism in the country rising. The Met police recorded a 1,350% rise the week after the attack. Across the Jewish community, confidence in the CPS to prosecute and ensure proper sentencing for perpetra…”

“Thank you.”

“That is really interesting; thank you for that. Unless there are any other questions on that point, I will move on—”

“Who sets those rates?”

“Good to hear. Zooming out a bit again, you said in the past that “to deliver swift justice, our whole criminal justice system must adapt and change”. Can you elaborate on that, please, and what reforms would you recommend?”

“Retention is important as well, isn’t it? Do you have an issue with retention in staffing?”

“I have one question if that is okay. As we know, the criminal justice system’s response to the violence was well resourced. You spoke about that earlier. Could you give an indication of the level of resources required to achieve that, please?”

“I previously worked for the National Crime Agency.”

“Is there scope to plan for more than just one financial year?”

“T6. It is vital that we continue to supply Ukraine with aid in the face of Russian aggression. Is that aid combined with diplomatic efforts to bring about a just and lasting peace, in line with UN conventions?”

“The right hon. Member for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge (Sir Gavin Williamson) who raised the urgent question appears to be suffering from some memory loss. Under the Conservative Government, we saw 130,000 small boat crossings and record backlogs at the Home Office. The Conservatives opened 400 hotels—that is, 21,…”

“Coming from a policing family, and having served with the National Crime Agency, I am immensely proud of British policing. However, I am equally devastated at the decline overseen by the Conservatives. Can the Minister outline what we are doing to rebuild British policing and return it to being the best in the world?”

“Is there consideration for bringing it into the vetting standards of other organisations like the police?”

“Yes. Is there monitoring of staff relationships with prisoners? That is where this problem can begin—with the recruitment of prison officers.”

“Thank you. How are you working at the moment with other law enforcement agencies such as the police and National Crime Agency to form that intelligence picture within the prisons?”

“That is good to hear; fantastic. Finally, in terms of randomised drug testing, how successful is that? I have a question from something that was raised earlier: are there tags that can also detect drug use?”

“One final question, please, Chair, going back slightly. In terms of the prison estate, what are the rules on vehicle searches for visitors or prison staff when they come on to the Government-owned estate?”

“On the staffing side of things, what is the level of vetting for prison staff working on the ground?”