Speeches by Juss.

“I also welcome my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to her place. Many of my constituents in Wolverhampton West complain not only about the number of potholes in our roads but about the standard of repairs, with some potholes reappearing shortly after they have been repaired. While the £1.6 billion of funding fo…”

“13. What assessment she has made of the adequacy of the condition of local roads.”

“I commend all the speeches made this afternoon, particularly those made by the hon. Member for Lagan Valley (Sorcha Eastwood) and by my hon. Friends the Members for Luton North (Sarah Owen), for Milton Keynes Central (Emily Darlington) and for Rochdale (Paul Waugh). I have to confess that I felt quite shocked by some o…”

“In my constituency, the Whitmore Reans Welfare Centre, a voluntary organisation, signposts individuals to the debt advice that they need. In the past, the centre received funding for a part-time or full-time caseworker, but it is finding it increasingly difficult to provide the kind of one-to-one advice mentioned earli…”

“This Labour Government have been in power for six months, and we are having to deal with 14 years of Conservative chaos. Does the Chief Secretary agree that the Government’s plan for change, which aims to provide a stable economy and raise living standards in every part of the United Kingdom, and has economic growth as…”

“I have a large Sikh population in my constituency and have received many letters from constituents expressing concerns over transnational repression and political interference by the Indian Government, creating risks to safety and security for Sikhs not only travelling to India, but in this country. They have referred …”

“Reported figures for 2022 and 2023 show an increase in the proportion of children living in low-income families, and no change in the proportion of children living in absolute low-income families. Does the Secretary of State agree that the Bill will improve the household finances of families and the life chances of chi…”

“Christmas is the time for musical festivities. One of my constituents in Wolverhampton West runs Revolver Records, which is Europe’s oldest indie rock label, having signed acts such as the Stone Roses, the Scorpions and Tony Hadley. It has released 7,000 albums over the past 42 years. My constituent has highlighted the…”

“Merry Christmas to you and your team, Mr Speaker. Compton Care hospice in my constituency provides specialist palliative and bereavement care, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Having previously discussed the lack of funding with the hospice, I am sure that it will welcome the extra funding that has been announced today…”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Sir Edward. I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Corby and East Northamptonshire (Lee Barron), whom I have known for a long time, for securing the debate. I declare an interest: I am a member of the Justice Committee, a solicitor and a member of the GMB executive council…”

“One of the questions I had in mind, Lord Chancellor, is this. There is a view that, although we need to lock up serious offenders for the safety of the public, we have too many people in prison. Could you give any indication as to how far you have looked into ways of providing punishment and rehabilitation through a no…”

“I am a solicitor and a member of the GMB union executive council. I am a member of a number of APPGs.”

“Do you have a view as to whether you think there are people in prison who perhaps should not be there?”

“Very quickly, we have heard of cases—we made a visit to Brixton prison and heard the story there—where people are going into prison who were not using drugs, but they come out using drugs.”

“It is reassuring to hear that you are carrying out a review to ensure proper access to justice. Is there any indication in terms of timescales? When do you think we may have answers to everything that we have discussed this afternoon?”

“I have a final two questions. The proposal to increase civil legal aid funding does not currently apply to family law cases. When we had the LASPO legislation back in 2012, it led to an increase in litigants in person, most notably in family law. Currently, what additional support is going to be available for those who…”

“Lord Chancellor, we have been talking about Crown court backlogs and the various personnel involved in our justice system. One of the reasons given for there being a backlog in Crown court cases is the lack of lawyers. I have a few statistics. Last year, 139 sex offence trials did not go ahead because a prosecution law…”

“You mentioned civil legal aid. As you said, you have announced consultation on increasing civil legal aid funding as well. You said that it is an important step in rebuilding the justice system. I understand that at the moment the proposal, when it comes to civil legal aid, to increase funding will only apply to immigr…”

“It is estimated that the number of rape victims who pull out of prosecutions before trial has more than doubled in five years. One reason given is a shortage of lawyers—for both prosecution and defence—willing to take on rape and serious sexual assault cases, because they say that cases are becoming increasingly comple…”

“Does the hon. Member agree that to stop the atrocities being committed, allow humanitarian aid into Gaza, ensure the return of the hostages to Israel and have the sovereign state of Palestine, together with a safe and secure Israel, we need to do what we can to urgently achieve a mutual and permanent ceasefire?”