Speeches by Vaughan.

“Sir Brian, I want to talk about appeals from the magistrates court. Your recommendation is that, essentially, we move towards a test as if you were appealing from the Crown court to the Court of Appeal, but since appeals make up only about 4% of the open caseload yet they are succeeding in 40% to 50% of cases, is it re…”

“What is your analysis about why so many appeals are successful? You have just referred to one example where the victim does not want to go through it all again at a full rehearing, but are there any other factors here that we need to be aware of?”

“Under the system that has been in force for many years, the Government cannot initiate deportation action until after minimum custodial terms have been served. Can the Deputy Prime Minister commit to ensuring that measures removing all minimum custodial requirements will be implemented, so that eligible foreign offende…”

“Is the proposal to change the appeal test dependent on recording? Will it be viable only if we have a transcript?”

“I will conclude by saying that, on this 75th anniversary, 300 organisations—from Liberty to Mind, Shelter to Amnesty—rightly defend the convention. It is up to this Government to demonstrate to the public that we can have both border control and compassion. Let us celebrate 75 years of freedom, and 75 more.”

“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Stourbridge (Cat Eccles) for securing this important debate. The ECHR has delivered extraordinary victories for British people. When Jeanette Smith and Graeme Grady were discharged from the armed forces simply for being gay, the English courts rejected their challenge, but the Stra…”

“Are we collecting the right data on this? Do we know what proportion of parents who go to MIAM actually start mediation?”

“Will the right hon. and learned Member give way?”

“As far as I can remember, the Attorney General told the House of Lords yesterday that 3 September was when he was informed that there were evidential difficulties with the case. The key point is that he had no power to intervene, because of the memorandum between the Attorney General’s Office and the CPS. The Attorney …”

“When it comes to the UK’s relations with China, it is not a simple binary choice between national security and growth—national security must always be our non-negotiable red line—but subject to that, does the Foreign Secretary agree that when there are specific sectors where economic engagement with China promotes grow…”

“As a concept—”

“Lastly on the early intervention scheme, we have been talking about the Public Law Outline, but what would a family group decision-making meeting—which is in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill—add to that PLO pre-proceedings process?”

“What reforms are most important to get us to the point where parents see court as a last resort rather than the first resort?”

“Are we collecting the right data on this? Do we know what proportion of parents who go to MIAM actually start mediation?”

“Just picking up on the mediation information and assessment meetings which were one of the outputs of that review in April 2024, and which were supposed to radically tighten up the process, what effect would you say that tightening up has had, if any?”

“I want to talk about early intervention. Just picking up from where we left off on private family law, you have said that change in that area is your principal priority. What specific changes do you think are needed in relation to that, and how are we getting on with implementing those changes?”

“Would it be possible, Sir Andrew, to go back to your point about the lack of district judges? I was quite struck that you said the numbers of district judges in the south-east is down by 20%. You referred to the simultaneous recruitment of circuit judges and district judges; I wonder if there is any other aspect or any…”

“As a concept—”

“Lastly on the early intervention scheme, we have been talking about the Public Law Outline, but what would a family group decision-making meeting—which is in the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill—add to that PLO pre-proceedings process?”

“What reforms are most important to get us to the point where parents see court as a last resort rather than the first resort?”