The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presented Gallantry Awards and Distinguished Service Decorations today (March 20, 2017) at a Defence Investiture Ceremony held at Rashtrapati Bhavan. read more
Plans to revolutionise the courts to make them more straightforward and efficient, and deliver swifter justice for victims, will be outlined by the Justice Minister Sir Oliver Heald QC today.
The Prisons and Courts Bill, which also contains a range of measures to help boost the reform of our prisons, will be debated by MPs in the House of Commons this week (week commencing 20 March 2017).
Measures in the ground-breaking Prisons and Courts Bill will mean that more cases can be progressed securely online and through video and telephone conferencing, eradicating the need for many administrative hearings to take place in the traditional courtroom setting and reducing the need for travel.
To ensure justice is also open and seen to be done, video booths will be installed in courts across England and Wales to allow members of the media and public to observe virtual hearings from court buildings anywhere in the country. Lists and results of cases that have taken place online, as well as those concluded in a physical courtroom, will also be available digitally.
Justice Minister Sir Oliver Heald QC said:
Britain has the best justice system in the world, but it should also be the most modern. Victims and the most vulnerable are at the centre of our changes, which will help deliver swifter and more certain justice for all.
We want courts that are efficient and fit-for-purpose, with facilities across the entire estate that are modern, user-friendly, and work in favour of our hard-working and dedicated judges and magistrates.
The Prisons and Courts Bill underpins this vision – building on the good progress we have already made in improving the experience of all users and cementing our reputation for global legal excellence so victims get the justice they deserve as quickly as possible.
The Prisons and Courts Bill proposes an extension to the use of video links and virtual hearings which allow victims to take part in cases without having to meet their alleged attacker face-to-face.
Under our virtual hearings measures a further 60,000 pre-trial hearings in the magistrates’ court and 17,000 contested bail hearings can also take place by video, along with 30,000 pre-trial hearings in the crown court. This will save around 34,000 hours of courtroom time. Proposals to introduce online convictions for some limited offences will also benefit the courts. Potentially around 8,000 offences – including 7,000 cases of people travelling without a train and tram ticket, and a further 1,300 cases of people fishing without a licence – could be handled online, taking away the need to be in a courtroom.
Bill measures will also mean around 420,000 summary and triable either way offences can be progressed without the need for administrative hearings to take place in a court. For example, offenders will be able to enter a plea online reducing the need to go to court until they need to attend trial or a hearing where they can be sentenced.
Discussions between the court and legal representatives about issues such as trial location will be able to take place via email or telephone or video conferencing, instead of being in a courtroom.
The government is also removing the requirement for indictable only offences to have a ‘first appearance’ in the magistrates’ court, instead sending those cases straight to the crown court.
The Prisons and Courts Bill underpins our investment of over £1 billion for a modern justice system. The government is investing over £850 million to modernise and digitise the courts, and preserve the full majesty of the physical courtroom for cases that require it, in addition to around £250 million to deliver a fully connected criminal courtroom. This will result in savings of £252 million a year for the taxpayer.
We will move from too many underused and badly maintained buildings to fewer, better buildings with modern facilities. More modern and robust technology will be put in place in courts, such as Wi-Fi, modern telephony and screens for sharing evidence, to make the lives of our excellent judiciary and legal professional users easier.
The Prisons and Courts Bill also provides courts with the power to put an end to domestic violence victims being cross-examined by their alleged attackers in the family courts, calling time on what the Justice Secretary has described as a “humiliating and appalling” practice.
Car insurance premiums will also be cut by around £40 a year, with new fixed tariffs capping whiplash compensation pay-outs and a ban on claims without medical evidence, helping to crack down on the compensation culture epidemic.
In addition, the legislation sets in law for the first time that a key purpose is to reform offenders as they are punished for the crimes they have committed.
20 Mar 2017
The Greens’ election manifesto will be deemed a “lie” if the party sides with the SNP in backing a second independence referendum, the Scottish Conservatives have said.
A series of remarks from the party and its “co-convener” Patrick Harvie have revealed a massive u-turn in recent months.
The information was compiled by the Scottish Conservatives ahead of a two-day Holyrood debate on whether or not there should be a second independence referendum.
Following the No vote of 2014, Mr Harvie said Scotland should “live with” the result and “find ways to work together”.
A month later, he added the country should “move beyond” the independence debate, and failing to do so would be “damaging”.
The Greens also set out in their Holyrood manifesto that one million people should have to sign a petition, and that public demand should be “irresistible”, before another vote was called.
In May last year, Mr Harvie said there would be “little point” in revisiting the poll unless opinion had shifted “markedly”.
Most tellingly, the manifesto stated: “If a new referendum is to happen, it should come about by the will of the people, and not be driven by calculation of party political advantage.”
However, since the turn of the year, the Greens’ position has completely changed.
The party’s own campaign, under the banner of Yes 2, has already begun, while just two months ago Mr Harvie said the independence option “has to remain on the table”.
The Greens’ vote is expected to be crucial, with their MSPs compensating for the lack of an SNP majority.
Scottish Conservative MSP Annie Wells said:
“The Greens like to think they’re a bit different, and above the idea of manifesto pledges and hypocrisy.
“But they aren’t, and these wild contradictions expose that.
“They were elected on a promise they would only back another referendum if the people wanted it.
“But that now looks like a lie, and it will be confirmed as such if they back the SNP on holding another unwanted and divisive referendum.”
After the referendum, Patrick Harvie said that Scots would have to ‘live with’ and ‘move beyond’ the result
The Greens said that a future referendum should be reliant on 1 million people signing a petition rather than political parties doing a deal behind ‘closed doors’
Now the Greens have broken their own promises by doing background deals with the SNP on a second referendum with little public appetite.
Keir Starmer MP, Labour’s Shadow Brexit Secretary, commenting on reports that Theresa May will trigger Article 50 on March 29, said:
“Britain is about to embark on the most complex and important negotiations since World War II, so this a hugely significant moment for the whole country.
“Theresa May has repeatedly said that she wants to build a national consensus on Brexit, but it is increasingly clear she has failed to do so. Britain is now more divided at home and isolated abroad.
“It is also extraordinary that the Prime Minister has failed to provide any certainty about her plans for Brexit or to prepare for the clear dangers of not reaching a deal with the EU.
“Labour will hold the Prime Minister to account all the way, and argue for a Brexit deal that puts jobs, the economy and living standards first.”
read moreToday Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson announced that Jeremy Fleming has been appointed to succeed Robert Hannigan as Director GCHQ, with the agreement of the Prime Minister.
Jeremy Fleming has been Deputy Director General of MI5 since 2013. He will succeed Robert Hannigan, who announced in January his decision to step down once a successor was in place. He will take up his post around Easter. The appointment was made following a recruitment process chaired by National Security Adviser Sir Mark Lyall Grant.
Announcing the appointment, the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said
Jeremy Fleming is a dedicated public servant whose work over two decades in the intelligence services has helped to keep our country safe. I congratulate Jeremy on his appointment as Director of GCHQ at an important time for the service. I know that he will continue the excellent work of Robert Hannigan in leading this outstanding organisation, when the skill and ingenuity of the UK intelligence community are critical to defending Britain from cyber attacks, terror plots and other activities that threaten us and our allies.
National Security Adviser Sir Mark Lyall Grant said:
Jeremy Fleming emerged from a strong and competitive field as the outstanding candidate to become the next Director, GCHQ. He is a national security professional of the highest standard, who is widely respected across the national security community, in the UK and overseas. I would also like to thank Robert Hannigan for his excellent leadership of GCHQ over the last 3 years, including for the important role he played in preparations for the 2017 Investigatory Powers Act and in the setting up of the National Cyber Security Centre.
New GCHQ Director, Jeremy Fleming said:
It is a great privilege to be asked to lead GCHQ as it approaches its centenary in 2019. The organisation has a distinguished past and an increasingly important role to play in keeping Britain safe in the digital age. From managing cyber risks posed by nation states to preventing terror attacks, keeping our children safe online and supporting our Armed Forces, the exceptional men and women of GCHQ operate on the new frontline of global challenges.
I’d like to pay tribute to Robert Hannigan, who over the last few years has led GCHQ through the transformation of some of our most important national security capabilities. I look forward to building on his legacy and in particular, the role he has played in increasing the transparency of GCHQ’s crucial work and in expanding its cyber mission through the work of the National Cyber Security Centre.
Outgoing GCHQ Director, Robert Hannigan said:
I’m delighted that the Foreign Secretary has appointed Jeremy Fleming to be the new Director. I’ve known Jeremy for many years and he is a great friend and colleague. He comes with deep intelligence experience and expertise.
Jeremy Fleming biography: Jeremy Fleming joined government from the private sector in 1993. He is a career MI5 officer with significant professional experience of national security and intelligence work, including international and Northern Ireland counter-terrorism, counter-espionage, cyber, and protective security. Jeremy joined the Board of MI5 in 2005 with responsibility for Technology. He was seconded to the Home Office in 2007 to be the Director of Strategy for the newly formed Office for Counter Terrorism and led on the revision of the Government’s counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. On return to MI5, he became the Director for intelligence Collection, overseeing a significant uplift in digital capabilities. He was promoted to Assistant Director General in 2011 and led MI5’s preparations for the London 2012 Olympics. Jeremy was appointed Deputy Director General of MI5 in April 2013, with responsibility for the agency’s core operational work. He has played a lead role in shaping the organisation to disrupt the changing face of the threat from terrorist groups and hostile state actors.
All questions should be directed to GCHQ press office: 01242 221461 ext 33847; pressoffice@gchq.gsi.gov.uk