Speeches by Sackman.

“Adjourned till Tuesday 28 April at twenty-five minutes past Nine o’clock.”

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“I welcome the support from Members across the Committee for clause 10. A proper evidential basis is defined in the Bill as ensuring that there is material before the court that shows both that the complainant made the previous allegation and that the previous allegation was false. I do not want to elaborate on the test…”

“The hon. Gentleman is making a fair point. I have no doubt that, not just in the context of this clause—where we are talking about family law—but more generally in other conversations that we have had around the criminal justice system, the Judicial Office and judicial leadership will be following these proceedings qui…”

“I will say two things to that. Obviously, that report—as is typical from the Law Commission—is non-partisan, but it predates the reforms we are proposing in the Bill, which will inevitably increase the volume of cases we are talking about. It goes back to the point that, where we have finite resources, if the permissio…”

“We now come to a series of clauses that deal with what happens during the course of trials and the use of special measures—the architecture, so to speak, of what takes place to ensure fairness for all participants. Clause 12 makes an important clarification to the operation of screens in our criminal courts. At present…”

“The family justice strategy, which will be forthcoming in July, will address a lot of what the hon. Member asks for. It will set out where the Government think reform is needed, and it will bring together what we are already doing with our child-focused courts programme, which is accompanied by a £17 million investment…”

“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 clause will make it easier to make changes to the types of expenses that can be reimbursed so that we can more nimbly react to what the magistracy requires. It is right that our valued magistrates are reimbursed for reasonable expenses and should not feel out of pocket for serving their community. Section 15 of the…”

“I understand the point. In the circumstances, I would prefer to take officials’ advice and check that the legislation is doing what it intends to—providing a consistent practice of professional witness support, while maintaining trial fairness. I do not want to misdirect myself or the Committee.”

“I will touch briefly on parental alienation, which is a concern raised in a number of speeches. The Government do not recognise parental alienation as a syndrome capable of diagnosis—sometimes it is talked about in those terms. I think we can all agree that the family court should consider a child’s wishes and feelings…”

“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…”

“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…”

“The hon. Gentleman makes a good point. Obviously, we have appeal systems and, in some family proceedings, the nature of them can be iterative; as family circumstances and the facts change, it might be that there are provisions in directions to come back and relitigate some of those child arrangements. In other cases, t…”

“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…”

“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…”

“The amendment, which would require retrials to take place in front of a Crown court jury, goes beyond both the current practice for appeals from the magistrates court and beyond the established principles in other criminal appeal proceedings, whereby the lower court reconsiders the case. As I have indicated, it would c…”

“On the hon. Gentleman’s last point about the reliability of the kit in courtrooms, that is critical not just for evidence via video. We have an ambition for greater use of video right across our criminal justice system, not just for vulnerable witnesses but in other ways that have been touched on. We have talked a lot …”

“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…”

“The family courts already operate within a strong statutory framework in which a child’s welfare is the paramount consideration. Judges are equipped with the training to consider domestic abuse, the nature and severity of harm, and the reasons behind any relocation, without needing a presumption that may constrain that…”