I do not believe that it is as many as 40 per cent of those who appear in the Crown Court, either for plea or for trial. We are talking about pleas and committals for sentence where a guilty plea has already been entered. It is a good deal less...

I do not believe that it is as many as 40 per cent of those who appear in the Crown Court, either for plea or for trial. We are talking about pleas and committals for sentence where a guilty plea has already been entered. It is a good deal less...

My Lords, I am sorry to interrupt again. Does the Minister accept that acquittals are, as a percentage, much larger in the Crown Court? Does he also accept that the proposed scheme means that assessment and means testing have to take place at the beginning, will possibly have to be...

My Lords, I am sorry to interrupt again. Does the Minister accept that acquittals are, as a percentage, much larger in the Crown Court? Does he also accept that the proposed scheme means that assessment and means testing have to take place at the beginning, will possibly have to be...

The noble Lord will know—and I certainly know from experience—that costs in the Crown Court are rather higher than costs in the magistrates’ court by a very large multiplier. Indeed, if one looked at the cost of legal aid in the magistrates’ court compared to the Crown Court, one would...

The noble Lord will know—and I certainly know from experience—that costs in the Crown Court are rather higher than costs in the magistrates’ court by a very large multiplier. Indeed, if one looked at the cost of legal aid in the magistrates’ court compared to the Crown Court, one would...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness and the noble Lord for their contributions and helpful questions. It is right, with a new scheme such as this, that questions should be asked of it. The answer is that we will know the result only once the scheme has...

My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness and the noble Lord for their contributions and helpful questions. It is right, with a new scheme such as this, that questions should be asked of it. The answer is that we will know the result only once the scheme has...

My Lords, the love fest of yesterday is, I am afraid, over. We on these Benches support the principle that convicted criminals should pay for their defence when they can. However, in the past that has turned out to be a purely theoretical principle. Attempts have been made before to...

My Lords, the love fest of yesterday is, I am afraid, over. We on these Benches support the principle that convicted criminals should pay for their defence when they can. However, in the past that has turned out to be a purely theoretical principle. Attempts have been made before to...

Taking that figure, it means that the savings have been rather less than £30 million a year for the very many more defendants who appear in the magistrates’ courts than appear in the Crown Court. If the savings are to be on that sort of level in the Crown Court,...

Taking that figure, it means that the savings have been rather less than £30 million a year for the very many more defendants who appear in the magistrates’ courts than appear in the Crown Court. If the savings are to be on that sort of level in the Crown Court,...

Moved By That the draft regulations laid before the House 28 October on be approved. Relevant Document: 24th Report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments.

Moved By That the draft regulations laid before the House 28 October on be approved. Relevant Document: 24th Report from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments.

My Lords, we have quite a lot to absorb here, but I thank the Minister for explaining what the Government are seeking to do with these rather complicated regulations. He has presented them as an efficiency measure designed to ease the strain on the legal aid budget. The Criminal Defence...

My Lords, we have quite a lot to absorb here, but I thank the Minister for explaining what the Government are seeking to do with these rather complicated regulations. He has presented them as an efficiency measure designed to ease the strain on the legal aid budget. The Criminal Defence...

In moving the regulations, with the leave of the House, I shall also speak to the draft Criminal Defence Service (Representation Orders) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 and the draft Criminal Defence Service (Representation Orders: Appeals etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2009. These three sets of regulations are laid by the Lord Chancellor under...

In moving the regulations, with the leave of the House, I shall also speak to the draft Criminal Defence Service (Representation Orders) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 and the draft Criminal Defence Service (Representation Orders: Appeals etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2009. These three sets of regulations are laid by the Lord Chancellor under...

Draft Criminal Defence Service (Contribution Orders) Regulations 2009. Lords debate on a motion to approve. Debated with draft Criminal Defence Service (Representation Orders: Appeals etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2009, and draft Criminal Defence Service (Representation Orders) (Amendment) Regulations 2009. Agreed to on question.

Draft Criminal Defence Service (Contribution Orders) Regulations 2009. Lords debate on a motion to approve. Debated with draft Criminal Defence Service (Representation Orders: Appeals etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2009, and draft Criminal Defence Service (Representation Orders) (Amendment) Regulations 2009. Agreed to on question.

Lords Second Reading Committee motion to consider the Bill. Agreed to on question.

Lords Second Reading Committee motion to consider the Bill. Agreed to on question.

My Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Lords who have taken the trouble to come to this Second Reading Committee today, and I particularly thank those who have spoken. I do not expect that the reporting of this Bill will make headlines tomorrow, but it is significant because...

My Lords, I am most grateful to the noble Lords who have taken the trouble to come to this Second Reading Committee today, and I particularly thank those who have spoken. I do not expect that the reporting of this Bill will make headlines tomorrow, but it is significant because...

My Lords, first, I declare the interests set out against my name in the Register—in particular, my being a partner in the national commercial law firm Beachcroft LLP. I thank the Minister for his very clear outline of exactly what the Bill seeks to achieve. I say at the outset...

My Lords, first, I declare the interests set out against my name in the Register—in particular, my being a partner in the national commercial law firm Beachcroft LLP. I thank the Minister for his very clear outline of exactly what the Bill seeks to achieve. I say at the outset...

My Lords, I wholeheartedly support the Bill, as does my party—or, at least, those members of my party who are aware of the Bill’s existence. It is an absolutely prime example of why the new procedure is very valuable and must be continued. Let us look at the Bill’s history,...

My Lords, I wholeheartedly support the Bill, as does my party—or, at least, those members of my party who are aware of the Bill’s existence. It is an absolutely prime example of why the new procedure is very valuable and must be continued. Let us look at the Bill’s history,...

My Lords, over the years, many of us have been critical, if not highly critical, of the Government and previous Governments for failing to implement, or for unduly delaying the implementation of, worthwhile Law Commission reports asked for by the Government of the day. It is a pleasure, therefore, to...

My Lords, over the years, many of us have been critical, if not highly critical, of the Government and previous Governments for failing to implement, or for unduly delaying the implementation of, worthwhile Law Commission reports asked for by the Government of the day. It is a pleasure, therefore, to...

My Lords, this Bill implements, with minor modifications, the recommendations of the Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission in their joint 2001 report, Third Parties— Rights Against Insurers. I am very grateful to the Law Commissions for their work. The Bill comes before your Lordships’ House as the second...

My Lords, this Bill implements, with minor modifications, the recommendations of the Law Commission and the Scottish Law Commission in their joint 2001 report, Third Parties— Rights Against Insurers. I am very grateful to the Law Commissions for their work. The Bill comes before your Lordships’ House as the second...