Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Bill Esterson and Jake Richards

Tuesday 3rd February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Jake Richards]

I will look at that report and personally make sure that we consider what the recommendations are and how they can be implemented. This Government have put record investment into our probation services. We are also harnessing technology to ensure that probation officers can do what they are trained and want to do, which is to work with offenders to rehabilitate them, rather than be bogged down in paperwork. I will look at that specific case and come back to the hon. Lady.

[Bill Esterson (Sefton Central) (Lab)]

My hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley (Anneliese Midgley) asked about the two-year parole cycle when she raised the appalling case of James Bulger. James’s dad, Ralph, is now a constituent of mine, which is why I am following up. Will the Secretary of State consider changing the rules around the two-year system, given the family’s re-traumatisation when reliving what happened to James every two years?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Bill Esterson and Jake Richards

Thursday 12th September 2024 Commons Chamber

[Bill Esterson (Sefton Central) (Lab)]

4. What steps she is taking to help ensure rioters are prosecuted efficiently and effectively.

[Jake Richards (Rother Valley) (Lab)]

8. What steps she is taking to help ensure rioters are prosecuted efficiently and effectively.

[The Solicitor General (Sarah Sackman)]

There seem to have been a lot of congratulations this morning, and I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Sefton Central (Bill Esterson) on being elected as Chair of the Energy Security and Net Zero Committee.

The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have been clear that there is no place for senseless violence on our streets. During the summer, after the recent disorder, the Crown Prosecution Service deployed an additional 100 prosecutors, expanded its 24-hour charging service and received additional advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions to enable it to charge more quickly. The deterrent effects of this swift action are an example of how the system can work well when it works together.