Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shailesh Vara and Dan Jarvis

Tuesday 11th November 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vara]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend, who, of course, speaks with considerable knowledge on these matters. We are working apace to try to ensure that our courts are fit for the 21st century in that we have expeditious handing of judicial matters where there is proper protection for victims, defendants, and, indeed, lawyers.

[Dan Jarvis (Barnsley Central) (Lab)]

When victims have their day in court, far too many have to go through a traumatic experience that leaves them feeling like they are on trial themselves. That is one of the reasons Labour Members have been calling for a victims law. When I last raised this from the Dispatch Box, the Justice Secretary dismissed us as “always talking about laws”. Now that the Government have rushed out their own plans for a victims law, will the Minister tell the House when it will be published and explain what prompted his change of heart?

[Mr Vara]

The hon. Gentleman will be aware that we have done more for victims than his party’s Government did in 13 years. We are making sure that victims, who are often very vulnerable, have proper treatment and are looked after carefully. We have brought in measures that allow victims to have a say in court, which was certainly not the case before. We are bringing up the courts to be fit for the 21st century, which Labour failed to do in its 13 years. That will mean a better experience for victims, as some of the most vulnerable people who attend courts.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shailesh Vara and Dan Jarvis

Tuesday 15th May 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Shailesh Vara (North West Cambridgeshire) (Con)]

I thank my hon. Friend for that question. It is fair to say that the Brighton declaration was an excellent achievement for Britain. In his speech to Strasbourg on 25 January the Prime Minister outlined three achievements that he hoped for, the first of which was that there should be subsidiarity, with more decision making at the national level in the courts. That has been achieved. The second was that there should be more efficiency in the whole court structure, and that has been achieved. Thirdly, he hoped we would have a greater and better quality of judges in the Court, and that too has been achieved. We are going to have fewer cases going to Strasbourg and those that go will be dealt with efficiently. We dealt with 46 other countries, representing a total population of 800 million citizens, and I think it is a wonderful achievement on the part of Britain’s chairmanship to have got agreement between so many countries.

[Dan Jarvis (Barnsley Central) (Lab)]

T5. Legal aid is a safety net that protects the most vulnerable people in our society, but now that the Government have refused to listen to the concerns of Mumsnet and other organisations that protect vulnerable women, does the Minister accept that there are potentially thousands of women who will be too scared to leave their violent partners as a result of the reforms?