Forensic Science Regulator and Biometrics Strategy Bill

I am grateful to the Minister and to you, Mr Speaker, for pointing out what used to go on in the ...

I congratulate the hon. Member for Bristol North West (Darren Jones) on bringing forward such an ...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for the history lesson. I accept that there was some tinkering under t...

The hon. Lady makes a fair point. When a direction of travel is set, it is sometimes difficult to...

I have been listening with interest as my hon. Friend has explained an ever-expanding list of are...

I think that point reflects on what the hon. Member for Bristol North West said about this being ...

My hon. Friend is making an extremely important point, and nowhere is it more pertinent than in t...

I agree with the concerns that my hon. Friend highlights. When the system looks in one way or ano...

I am cautious about trying to have a dialogue with the Minister through my hon. Friend while he m...

I appreciate my hon. Friend’s concerns, but I would be cautious about going down that route. Incr...

I, too, am anxious not to engage in ping-pong with my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfo...

I thank my hon. Friend for his message.

Let me finish this point about the future tech. We ...

I share the hon. Gentleman’s enthusiasm for debating the opportunities and risks of data and tech...

I agree with the hon. Gentleman, but it is sometimes tempting to speculate more widely. I appreci...

Order. For clarification, I have allowed the hon. Gentleman to stray slightly beyond the realms o...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I will pick up the point that was made about public perception, ...

The whole question of confidence makes me think of rape victims, for example. The rate of convict...

I agree entirely; my hon. Friend makes an important point. This legislation, and our having this ...

My hon. Friend is outlining the expanding scope of the work that will be undertaken. I take the p...

It is important that we set the direction of travel. We need to take this incredibly important st...

On that point, there has been some talk from smaller providers who are concerned at the cost of a...

I wholeheartedly agree with my hon. Friend. That reinforces the point that there are workstreams ...

In a spirit of cross-party consensus, it is a pleasure to follow the speech of the hon. Member fo...

The hon. Gentleman is exactly right. With regard to digital forensics, I remind him of the case o...

I am very grateful to the Minister for that intervention because it underlines the point I am mak...

I just want to be clear that in the circumstances of the case I referred to, the person accused o...

I absolutely understand. I was referring to victims whose crimes are not punished, but it is impo...

I know the hon. Gentleman is not advocating a blank cheque for policing and recognises that there...

The Minister makes a very good financial case for investing in forensics. It will lead not only t...

I just want to echo in a practical way what the Minister says. As a magistrate, so many times I h...

I am grateful for that useful insight into the practical consequences of the system not working c...

My hon. Friend the Member for Hertford and Stortford (Julie Marson) makes an interesting point, f...

That is so important for victims. Most people would not like the experience of going before a cou...

Will the hon. Gentleman unpack that a little? We have heard that one problem at the moment is tha...

My hon. Friend the Member for Bristol North West made the point about the risk of the forensics m...

It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Ilford North (Wes Streeting). I congratulate...

It is an honour to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Grantham and Stamford (Gareth Davies), wh...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his contribution today and for raising these important questions. ...

I am grateful for that clarification. I suppose my point was more about compliance notices being ...

Just to confirm, should the House consent to the Bill’s progress, we intend to table an amendment...

I am grateful to the Minister for that clarification.

I welcome the fact that there are no ...

It is a delight to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (John ...

First, I commend the hon. Member for Bristol North West (Darren Jones) for bringing forward the B...

My hon. Friend is making a compelling speech and he is absolutely right to point out the vital im...

As always, I am grateful for my hon. Friend’s knowledge on this subject. He shares my passion for...

It is a great pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for North Cornwall (Scott Mann), and I...

As matter of clarification, specifically because this is only the second day we have had private ...

Thank you for that clarification, Madam Deputy Speaker. That enables me to talk on so many more s...

My hon. Friend mentioned that the regulator is keen on the Bill. Should we not be a little concer...

My hon. Friend is correct. I see this more as the exception than the rule. I alluded earlier to t...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for raising that issue. He is quite right. I point out the critic...

It is extremely rewarding for my constituents who deal with that day in, day out to see the scale...

My hon. Friend is right that no hon. Member would want to give any solace to those evil people, a...

My hon. Friend brings a sobering note to the debate. Clearly, we need the powers and the standard...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for making, in a charming and agrarian way, a very important poin...

I echo the Minister’s words: there is no crime too small or too large in this country that will n...

It is a great pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Montgomeryshire (Craig Williams). ...

My hon. Friend is giving a fascinating tour de force on the history of forensics. She is quite ri...

I thank my hon. Friend for relaying that story. We talk about “CSI” and so on, but it goes to pro...

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Hertford and Stortford (Julie Marson). I...

Given recent events—some of the providers have failed—does my hon. Friend agree that having more ...

My hon. Friend is absolutely spot on in his analysis. One of the joys of the free market and allo...

I call Richard Fuller.

12.39 pm

You have caught me, Madam Deputy Speaker.

To allow the hon. Gentleman time to catch his breath, I will just say that I think the hon. Membe...

Let me assure you, Madam Deputy Speaker, that I shall not be following that example. On the issue...

An obsession.

I would not go quite as far as saying it is an obsession, but there is certainly an interest in t...

rose—

I see that my hon. Friend is prepared to intervene to reassure me.

I am more than happy to give my hon. Friend that reassurance. I come, I guess, from the point of ...

How impressive it is to hear a Minister from the Front Bench quote so directly from the classics!...

rose—

Perhaps the Minister has watched all of them and can advise us.

I understand the issue that the hon. Gentleman is raising, but he surely cannot believe that faul...

The Minister makes some very sensible points in rejoinder. Let me see if I cannot unpick some of ...

To give the hon. Gentleman a little comfort, the case that he makes will in fact be resolved by t...

rose—

I will give way to the Minister and then respond to both hon. Members.

To amplify that point, my hon. Friend and I may be drawing the line in a different place, but pre...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

If I may, I will make some progress and then give way.

Let me try to share a little bit mor...

My hon. Friend makes a really important point about the quality of evidence and expertise. That w...

If I may say, that contribution from my hon. Friend has been one of the most valuable. He talked ...

I hesitate to intervene on my hon. Friend, but I think that in the early days of the Cameron Gove...

Indeed, he reduced it to the 413 I just mentioned. Heaven knows what it was before. It is evident...

The debate is not about the wish to raise standards—we all want to raise standards—but the method...

My hon. Friend is very knowledgeable about those matters and he cites one of what I think may be ...

I start my comments by paying tribute to police officer who we lost last night. It is always a tr...

I just want to put on the record that the overall spend on forensics across policing is actually ...

I thank my hon. Friend for that clarification, which is helpful to the line that I am trying to p...

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich West (Shaun Bailey). Like ...

Before I begin, on behalf of the Opposition, I express my deepest condolences to the officer who ...

I thank hon. Members for their words of condolence, sorrow and support for the awful crime that w...

With the leave of the House, I thank the many hon. Members for their contributions today. We have...