Speeches by Slade.

“Focusing on a place of safety for women?”

“So men, women and young people.”

“Focusing on a place of safety for women?”

“A final question from me. There are men who are vulnerable and who have experienced trauma, domestic abuse and a horrible lived experience, who may find themselves with similar vulnerabilities. Do you think this model could be used for men as well? Is there any reason why it could not be used for vulnerable men?”

“Hello. I am Vikki Slade, the MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole. My interests are as per the register, none relevant to this Committee.”

“So men, women and young people.”

“I welcome the deepening of the relationship with the EU and the measures on late payments, but the elephant in the room is that while the jobs tax exists, and the Government do not make the most of business rate changes in retail, hospitality and leisure, the benefit to small businesses is more than outweighed by the e…”

“Apart from an AI listing system, what other efficiencies are actually happening within the court system at the moment? Obviously, you must have read part 2, and there are 180 recommendations. Why would you not get on with some of them? We have all visited courts where people are sitting twiddling their thumbs because t…”

“I was going to ask that question. Is that in train? Are you making much progress?”

“Those are other questions. This question is about efficiency.”

“On that broader piece, the maintenance of the court estate obviously has an impact on the ability to sit—if the roof is falling in or it is full of asbestos or whatever. Sir Brian highlighted that that is a particular barrier to efficiency and suggested that long-term, stable funding needs to be directed towards the es…”

“Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has a similar deficit of £1.5 million. I do not think this is about party politics, because a fire authority can only work with what it has got. Does the hon. Member agree that we need to work across parties to encourage the Government to properly fund all our fire services …”

“Are you seriously saying that someone could spend two years of their life in prison after a four-hour trial? That same trial, at the moment, is taking days in a Crown court. That cannot be just because of juries—it just is not.”

“Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service’s core spending power is going up over the three years only because of the increase in local taxpayers. The actual amount being provided is going down, not just in real terms but in actual cash terms. We simply do not have enough money to keep our fire stations open. Will th…”

“There are also defendants who need justice.”

“I remain to be convinced—I just cannot see it. Sir Brian Leveson said that the 180 recommendations of part 1 and 2 need to be progressed “in tandem”. Can you give us an update on the progress on the efficiency recommendations to change the system?”

“I am Vikki Slade, MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole. My interests are as per the register, but I have none relevant to this Committee.”

“I will go on to a couple of other bits, but I am still extremely bothered about magistrates, and I do not feel that reassured by what you have said. You have just said, Mr Goodwin, that there are lots of really experienced magistrates out there and that they are the ones who are most likely to come and take those cases…”

“But he said that they are supposed to be done in tandem.”

“Finally, you talk about those specific courts, but is the vision for fewer, bigger, more modern courts? Obviously, Tessa Munt and I are both from the south-west, and we have already lost the majority of our courts. People have to travel a long way to access justice. Is there a vision to maintain the existing spread of …”