Speeches by Sackman.

“CTB 39 Wales and Chester Circuit”

“CTB 40 London Criminal Courts Solicitors Association”

“CTB 43 Resolve”

“I welcome the debate we are having. As I said, the Government have been laying the foundations. We inherited a broken system, and we have prioritised work to stabilise the whole system, including commissioning both the sentencing review led by David Gauke and the independent review of the criminal courts. The reforms i…”

“We are bringing the successful model of Operation Soteria into the courtroom so that the focus, as in policing and prosecution, is on the suspect, not the complainant. That work is being led by Professor Katrin Hohl, from whom the Committee heard. That is another important building block. Her insights will be critical …”

“I will consider the elements outlined in the new clause, and those that have been raised by Committee members. I and other Ministers have engaged with the violence against women and girls and victims’ sector on the delivery of what the commitment will look like. It is not just about words on the statute book; it is abo…”

“I am a massive advocate for how we harness technology. Video hearings can be a vital tool in the efficient administration of justice. I have seen that in operation: I was at Wood Green Crown court recently and could see the way the judge, hearing certain types of application, was able to rattle through a number of hear…”

“We must obviously ensure that all our Crown courts are kitted out with this system. We have 150 core Crown courtrooms that have it so far. We are on track to do an additional 150 courtrooms in 2026-27. It is all part of the strategy. We do not need to legislate for it, but the hon. Member for Chichester is right: we mu…”

“I thank the hon. Member for Chichester for tabling new clause 22 and amendment 15, regarding remote participation. They essentially call for a formal strategy for the use of remote proceedings. I thank her sincerely, because I totally agree with the sentiment behind them.”

“If judges are watching at home, I urge them to lean into the usage of DAVE and to be progressive when it comes to the take-up of remote participation. Obviously, there are some trials and applications that must happen in person, and judicial discretion around what those should be is really important. However, I am hope…”

“There are two things the Government can do. One is to provide impetus and strategic oversight. The other is to provide the kit—the capital investment necessary to enable remote participation to its fullest. We have begun to make that capital investment. We have invested more than £22.5 million in the glamorously named …”

“If we think about where we were pre-covid, I remember—before coming to this place—when the courts suddenly started using video technology for remote hearings. People said it could not be done and that it was antithetical to fairness. When we went into lockdown, the trial that I had listed was done by video the next wee…”

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“The Chair adjourned the Committee without Question put (Standing Order No. 88)”

“These clauses are in part 3 of the general provisions of the Bill. They provide the position on the commencement of measures in the Bill, the powers to make consequential, transitional and other provisions in connection with the coming into force of the provisions of the Bill, and the Bill’s territorial extent and shor…”

“The Committee will not be surprised to hear that the Government do not support a sunset clause, for two primary reasons. First, these reforms address a challenge in our system that not only is acute—because of the crisis, which we inherited from the previous Government, that has been allowed to run out of control—but h…”

“I commend clauses 21 to 27 to the Committee. I did not specifically mention the House staff and all our wonderful Chairs. I add my thanks to everybody for their hard work. I also thank my team of officials—those watching at home and those in the room—who have worked very hard. Question put and agreed to. Clause 21 acco…”

“I absolutely recognise what the hon. Lady says. That is why I come back to this: swifter justice for victims is the guiding principle behind all these reforms. As she says, the longer people are stuck waiting for their day in court, the longer they need to be supported. It becomes a vicious cycle, because we must expen…”

“I think the hon. Member thinks that I rose to make some really brilliant, devastating party political point. I did not; I was just rehearsing the history of how we got here. At the time, the view was taken by those who finally took the axe to the inspectorate that it did not represent value for money and was not workin…”

“I do not think it is necessary. Everyone has heard what I have to say.”