Speeches by Sackman.

“We always say that the loss of one life is one too many. If any of these changes saves one life, they will have been worth making. With that in mind, I commend clause 17 to the Committee.”

“Government amendments 72 to 96 are minor and incredibly technical in nature. I really hope we do not spend too long debating them, otherwise I may struggle, although I am sure that the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle will find a way. The amendments make minor and technical changes to the delegation arrangements set …”

“The current state of play in relation to the appeal volumes demonstrates that, by and large, magistrates are doing a job in which those who work in the system and are affected by it can have confidence. They are doing a good job of applying the law consistently and accurately. Of course, it is vital that the right to a…”

“The amendments also make a range of consequential amendments to other legislation arising from these reforms. These are generally about deployments or the selection of adjudicators for a range of statutory purposes, such as the provision allowing the Lady Chief Justice to approve deployments to the mental health review…”

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“As I have already outlined, the current automatic right can place an unnecessary burden on the criminal courts, as well as on those who are required to relive the trauma of the trial for a second time for no justifiable reason. The existing system of appeals works well in appeals from the Crown court, ensuring that onl…”

“As I have said, the Children Act firmly enshrines the principle that the welfare of children must always be the family courts’ paramount concern when making a decision about a child’s life, so there is a slight concern about how we go about legislating in this area. Additionally, the Family Justice Council has publishe…”

“That is why I come back to the merits of the welfare checklist, in the context of clause 17, which removes the presumption. It is important that we refocus on the welfare of the child and listen intently to what they may be trying to say, informed through the lens of how trauma-informed evidence is given and a clear-ey…”

“In 2025, there were about 5,000 appeals from the magistrates court to the Crown court against sentence, which translated into some 4% of annual Crown court receipts. That is not insignificant. Where those appeals were successful and had merit, that is of course an important, vital safeguard, but for those that were unn…”

“The decision making will not be perfect and will not prevent every death, which goes to some of our earlier exchanges. Unfortunately, although it is the job of state institutions to keep children safe, there are some pretty evil people out there; the very people who should be keeping these children safe can do some awf…”

“There is only one Old Bailey, and as a result of clause 20, there will only ever be one Old Bailey. I invite all members of the Committee to join together on a group tour of the new facility in Salisbury Square when it opens, hopefully in a year’s time. Question put and agreed to. Clause 20 accordingly ordered to stand…”

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“We expect absolute appeal volumes to the Crown court to increase in the light of the wider reforms to retain more cases in the magistrates court. In many respects, the permission filter, building on the work of the independent review of the criminal courts, becomes all the more important when we consider the human impa…”

“To be clear, we are not doing away with the right to appeal magistrates court decisions; we are refining the process so that it protects the rights of defendants, victims and witnesses in a more proportionate way. For those reasons, I urge the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle not to press his amendments to a vote.”

“Our wider reforms, including the national roll-out of child-focused courts, are designed precisely to ensure that courts identify and respond to harm effectively in cases of domestic abuse, including cases where a parent has already relocated or is considering relocation. Under this model, specialist domestic abuse sup…”

“Under the amendment, the judge would order a trial by jury in the Crown court instead of the magistrates court, where the original proceedings took place. These appeals would function in the same way as an appeal of conviction or sentence would—currently, through a rehearing in the Crown court. In appeals from the Crow…”

“Importantly, this reformed model places the child’s voice at the centre of proceedings. One feature is that, at the very beginning of the case, the court orders a child impact report that incorporates information from relevant agencies and, where appropriate, direct engagement with the child. In cases involving relocat…”

“As with the previous amendment on appeals of conviction and sentence, we do not consider the suggestion that these types of appeals should have a trial heard by a Crown court jury to be proportionate, efficient or necessary. The new magistrates courts appeal process is grounded in a well-established process that alread…”

“The Government fully recognise the intention behind the new clause, as well as the desire to support survivors to relocate safely with their children. However, we cannot accept this amendment. Children do not need such a statutory presumption to keep them safe. What they need is a rigorous, case-by-case approach in whi…”