Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2017-04-25
Topic: Law and Crime
Questions: Following the important work done by the parents of my constituent Sean Morley, who was tragically killed in a hit-and-run incident in Bedworth, and the representations that I have made to the Secretary of State, will she confirm whether she intends to see through the progress that has been made towards much tougher sentences for dangerous drivers in the next Parliament, should the Conservatives be returned to government?; Colchester is home to the Military Corrective Training Centre. If the Government are returned to power, will the Secretary of State visit the MCTC with me to see its education work, in particular, and to find out what civilian prisons can learn from it?; When I was recently called to do jury service, I got the chance to experience at first hand the current state of our courts. The jury canteen had to close down because it malfunctioned, the ladies’ toilets malfunctioned, the water machine malfunctioned and the computers malfunctioned, meaning that juries could not even be chosen. Despite the fantastic and very patient work of the employees of the court system, the whole thing was a mess, and it was in need of substantial financial investment. The Justice Secretary should not be proud of her record on this matter, so what is she going to do about it?; I recently visited Dickson House, an approved premises in Fareham that provides support and accommodation to ex-offenders as they transition to life outside prison. Will the Minister join me in paying tribute to the team at Dickson House, and explain what more support is available to ensure that ex-offenders secure housing so that they do not fall into homelessness and, thereafter, criminality?; My constituent, 29-year-old father Alex Everington, was the victim of a road crash that left him paralysed from the neck down. His dad Ian said:“He can never take care of himself. He will never have a normal life…How do you explain this to a 10-year-old child?” Ian Maughan was found guilty of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He had taken cannabis before the crash, and he had 81 previous offences, including a catalogue of motoring offences. At the time of the crash, he had been banned for careless driving. He received a sentence of just three years and four months, despite having destroyed Alex’s life. Will the Minister pledge to consider the effectiveness of driving bans and, crucially, to look again at the length of sentences for causing injury by dangerous driving?; The Government undertook by this month to renegotiate transforming rehabilitation payment structures as a result of community rehabilitation companies experiencing significant difficulties with the contracts. For how many of the 21 community rehabilitation companies have new payment arrangements now been agreed and put in place?; This afternoon in Parliament, the families of four British soldiers murdered by the IRA in the Hyde Park bomb are launching their campaign to bring the chief suspect of the atrocity, John Downey, to justice and to ensure that no terrorist is ever allowed to act with impunity within the United Kingdom. Will the Secretary of State meet Members and peers who support the victims’ campaign to consider the Government making exceptional funding available to remedy a situation in which the victims have been denied justice for 35 years?
Oliver Heald (Conservative, Centre-right): May I say that our deepest sympathies remain with those affected by the dreadful Hyde Park bombings? Those terrible terrorist atrocities were really dreadful for the nation at the time. Decisions on legal aid in such cases are made through an independent process. A fresh determination was given by the Legal Aid Agency on 2 February, but my understanding is that there is a right of review and that the case is still ongoing with the agency. I therefore cannot comment further at this time, and a decision would have to be made before any meetings occurred.