Speeches by Kohler.

“Are you confident at the moment that looks like it is working as far as you can tell?”

“I see that, but you are telling me that the VAWG board always reports to No. 10. That is its firm reporting line.”

“I know what you did. I have it all here. I am not doubting you did. I just said that they felt left out. What have you done to try to build some more confidence in what—”

“Do we have a timeframe for that?”

“Working to standardise?”

“Maybe later.”

“Thank you. Now, on to governance, there is a VAWG board, a safer streets mission board, a safer streets delivery board and a VAWG strategic advisory board. I am resisting the temptation to ask whether you are bored, but how do they all work together?”

“Where is the safer streets delivery board?”

“The VAWG board?”

“What we would like is how much more money is being put into this issue, whether it is uplifts or new.”

“I will indeed. Thank you. My last question is that there is some doubt over the funding and a lack of clarity over whether it is new funding or existing funding. Are you clear about the funding you have for VAWG?”

“While I concede that the black hole might not have been foreseeable, the fact that there was a backlog in the courts was clearly foreseeable. The idea that the Government came into power and then suddenly realised there was a backlog is implausible. We are two years into this Government. The change that was promised is…”

“We were looking at an answer from the Advocate General for Scotland to a question in the House of Lords on VAWG strategy. She said in February of this year that the VAWG board reports directly to the safer streets mission board, but you are saying that is not what happens?”

“Ms Carr, you talk about the police as if it is one body. The evidence we heard was that different police forces have different definitions. Have they sorted that out?”

“The Liberal Democrats are committed to ensuring all those who served to uphold the rule of law during Operation Banner are treated with dignity and afforded proper legal protection. As a Member of a parliamentary party whose percentage of veterans is well into double figures, I assure the House that their experience in…”

“I begin by praising the bravery of the police, the fire and ambulance services, and the delivery driver, all of whom put themselves in danger to prevent a tragedy. I am sure the Secretary of State recognises that, as an act of terrorism, this is a matter of national security, which is the responsibility of the central …”

“With respect, may I correct the Minister? There is a process by which the gap can be corrected. The land could be re-conveyed to the local authority and then the correct process carried out. Does she agree that the weakness of Lord Banner’s amendment is that the local authority has no role to play? In the process that …”

“”

“I think the evidence is that 3% of trials currently have a jury, and that will go down to 1.5%. That is a 50% reduction. Does the hon. Member not agree that that is a huge reduction in the number of jury trials from the present number?”

“Then there are two remedies: to re-convey the land to the local authority to do it correctly, or to bring an amendment that gives the local authority a role to play. The local authority has no role to play in this amendment; that is why it is moving from localism to ministerial fiat. That is what is wrong with the amen…”