Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Justice

Oral Answers to Questions

Liz Jarvis Excerpts
Tuesday 17th March 2026

(1 day, 9 hours ago)

Commons Chamber
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Jake Richards Portrait Jake Richards
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When foreign national offenders are deported from this country and are able to return, they should be detained and dealt with appropriately by law enforcement agencies. I would expect that to happen in every single case.

Liz Jarvis Portrait Liz Jarvis (Eastleigh) (LD)
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4. What steps he is taking to help improve the experience of victims in court.

Sarah Sackman Portrait The Minister for Courts and Legal Services (Sarah Sackman)
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The Courts and Tribunals Bill puts victims at its heart and aims to deliver faster, fairer justice for all victims. In addition, we are increasing transparency and support for victims in the criminal justice system, funding victim support to the tune of over half a billion pounds, consulting on a new victims code, and enhancing special measures.

Liz Jarvis Portrait Liz Jarvis
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My constituent was appalled that character references were read out during the sentencing of a man found guilty of attempting to engage in sexual communication with a child. The Minister will be aware that Queensland, in Australia, introduced reforms last year to restrict the use of character references in the sentencing of sex offenders. Does the Minister agree that all victims should be at the heart of sentencing, and will she review the admissibility and weight of character references in sexual offence cases?