[{"topic":"Criminal law","id":"44094","proposer":"24919","edm":"2986","session":"2010-12","title":"Criminal Law On Child Neglect","text":"That this House welcomes Action for Children's campaign to change the criminal law on child neglect; notes that an estimated 1.5 million children are neglected in the UK; further notes that the legal definition of child neglect was enshrined in legislation in 1933 and has not been amended since; is concerned that the law does not sufficiently protect children from harm because it does not include all of the effects of neglect, particularly the emotional harm caused to children; recognises that the law does not help parents understand their responsibilities towards children or seek to prevent harm; is further concerned that current sentencing guidelines seek only to criminalise parents and do not allow for early intervention in the form of parenting educationand support; and calls on the Government to update the criminal law on neglect to ensure that the general public and parents in particular understand the basic needs of children.","date":"2012-04-19","status":"o"},{"topic":"Criminal law","id":"40033","proposer":"10123","edm":"463","session":"2009-10","title":"Automatism As A Defence In Law","text":"That this House considers that current UK law which provides sleepwalking as a defence for rape or murder to be grossly unreasonable following recent cases, including a not guilty verdict on a man who killed his wife; notes that the jury in this recent case were presented with the option of not guilty by way of insane automatism or not guilty due to non-insane automatism; further notes that sleep specialist Dr Chris Idzikowski is quoted in The Guardian on 5 December 2009 as saying that insane automatism is intrinsic to the person's behaviour, whilst non-insane automatism is used if a person has had a blow to the head, or is withdrawing from drugs, which creates the condition; further notes that the same article states, that an estimated 10 million people in the UK have sleep problems; further notes that very many people at any one time suffer the effects of a blow to the head or withdrawal from drugs, prescription or otherwise; considers that those are not proper defences for rape or murder which warrant walking free without any consequence and if they are now deemed to be so, represent a massive legal loophole; further considers that anyone who kills or commits rape cannot be considered completely safe to walk free in the community without much more extensive tests to check that they will not act in the same manner again andthat the seriousness of the act should require detention for such tests in all cases; and calls for a full-scale legal inquiry to consider this matter and to bring sense to UK law.","date":"2009-12-14","status":"o"},{"topic":"Criminal law","id":"39639","proposer":"10726","edm":"103","session":"2009-10","title":"Criminal Law (S.i., 2009, No. 2720)","text":"That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Costs in Criminal Cases (General) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 (S.I., 2009, No. 2720), dated 8 October 2009, a copy of which was laid before this House on 8 October, in the previous Session of Parliament, be annulled.","date":"2009-11-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Criminal law","id":"39640","proposer":"10243","edm":"104","session":"2009-10","title":"Criminal Law (S.i., 2009, No. 2773)","text":"That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Conditional Cautions: Financial Penalties) Order 2009 (S.I., 2009, No. 2773), dated 15 October 2009, a copy of which was laid before this House on 19 October, in the previous Session of Parliament, be annulled.","date":"2009-11-18","status":"o"},{"topic":"Criminal law","id":"39298","proposer":"10726","edm":"2063","session":"2008-09","title":"Criminal Law (S.i., 2009, No. 2720)","text":"That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Costs in Criminal Cases (General) (Amendment) Regulations 2009 (S.I., 2009, No. 2720), dated 8 October 2009, a copy of which was laid before this House on 8 October, be annulled.","date":"2009-10-15","status":"o"},{"topic":"Criminal law","id":"39178","proposer":"11812","edm":"1953","session":"2008-09","title":"MAGISTRATES' COURTS (S.I., 2009, No. 1496)","text":"That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Magistrates' Courts Fees (Amendment) Order 2009, (S.I., 2009, No. 1496), dated 10 June 2009, a copy of which was laid before this House on 18 June, be annulled.","date":"2009-07-20","status":"o"},{"topic":"Criminal law","id":"37645","proposer":"10777","edm":"600","session":"2008-09","title":"Criminal Law (S.i., 2009, No. 83)","text":"That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Penalties for Disorderly Behaviour (Amount of Penalty) (Amendment) Order 2009 (S.I., 2009, No. 83), dated 22 January 2009, a copy of which was laid before this House on 23 January, be annulled.","date":"2009-01-27","status":"o"},{"topic":"Criminal law","id":"36386","proposer":"10961","edm":"2044","session":"2007-08","title":"Justice After Acquittal","text":"That this House notes the launch on 24th June of Justice After Acquittal; congratulates the co-founders, Ann Roberts and Carole Longe, on establishing this campaigning and support group to represent the interests of families like their own who have suffered the double injustice of the loss of a loved one and the failure of the criminal justice system; calls for more to be done to support the families of victims during and after the trials of those accused of the murder or manslaughter of their family members; and urges the Government to consider a change in the law to provide for a `not decided' verdict in cases where the jury is unable to reach a decision and to provide for decisions of juries in certain circumstances to be subject to judicial review.","date":"2008-07-15","status":"c"},{"topic":"Criminal law","id":"36076","proposer":"10465","edm":"1777","session":"2007-08","title":"42-Day Detention For Terrorist Suspects","text":"That this House regrets the extension of detention without charge to a maximum of 42 days; notes that similar measures were used in Northern Ireland during the Troubles; recalls that this power was at that time referred to as internment; believes such measures led to an increase in recruiting activity by the IRA; and observes that the current Government has learned nothing about conflict resolution from the lessons of the Troubles.","date":"2008-06-11","status":"c"},{"topic":"Criminal law","id":"35329","proposer":"11420","edm":"1114","session":"2007-08","title":"Conviction Of Martin Mccabe","text":"That this House notes that the Court of Appeal refused the appeal of Martin McCabe against his criminal conviction for assisting his pregnant wife to leave the country with her son.","date":"2008-03-04","status":"c"},{"topic":"Criminal law","id":"35246","proposer":"10785","edm":"1048","session":"2007-08","title":"Counter Terrorism Bill","text":"That this House notes with concern Clause 27 (Jurisdiction to try offences committed in the UK) in the Counter Terrorism Bill, which would allow terrorism offences committed in Scotland to be tried in any court in the United Kingdom; recognises that the constitutional independence of the Scottish legal system was recognised in the Act of Union in 1707; believes that Clause 27 represents an unjustified and unconstitutional attack on the integrity of the independent Scottish legal system; and calls on UK Ministers to support an Amendment to remove Clause 27 from the Counter Terrorism Bill.","date":"2008-02-26","status":"c"}]