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Tag: Victoria Prentis

  • Victoria Prentis – 2023 Statement on the Prosecution Fee Increase

    Victoria Prentis – 2023 Statement on the Prosecution Fee Increase

    The statement made by Victoria Prentis, the Attorney General, on 7 February 2023.

    Parity of fees paid to prosecution and defence barristers ensures fair representation on both sides of criminal cases.

    Like many, I have been concerned to hear reports that on occasion, the CPS has struggled to recruit suitably experienced staff to prosecute complex cases, especially those involving rape and serious sexual offences. Ensuring that victims’ voices are heard requires prosecutors, delivering a core part of this Government’s commitment to breaking down barriers to justice.

    That is why it is welcome news the Treasury will provide the Crown Prosecution Service with the additional funding it needs to increase prosecution fees in line with those agreed for defence legal aid fees last year.

    This is an issue that I have championed alongside the Bar Council and CPS, and it is an outcome that reflects the importance of a well-functioning justice system.

  • Victoria Prentis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    Victoria Prentis – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Cabinet Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Victoria Prentis on 2016-05-05.

    To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Electoral Commission’s 2013 recommendation that political parties that receive and spend less than £500 annually should be exempt from submitting a full statement of accounts.

    John Penrose

    The Electoral Commission published a report “a regulatory review of the UK’s party and electoral finance laws” in June 2013 that made 50 recommendations. The report’s first recommendation proposed changes to the reporting requirements for parties that receive and spend less than £500 annually. Such a change would require primary legislation. The Government recognises that there is a balance to be struck between reducing the burden on smaller parties and maintaining transparency of the funding of all parties which contest elections in the UK.

  • Victoria Prentis – 2022 Speech on the Legal Response to Russia’s War in Ukraine

    Victoria Prentis – 2022 Speech on the Legal Response to Russia’s War in Ukraine

    The speech made by Victoria Prentis, the Attorney General, in London on 9 December 2022.

    1. Excellencies, members of the London legal community, ladies and gentlemen – it is a real pleasure and a great privilege to address you at the beginning of this important legal conference, alongside my dear Ukrainian colleagues Ambassador Prystaiko which whom I’ve worked very closely this year and Deputy Justice Minister Mudra.
    2. London holds a special place in history for hosting discussions and gatherings on the most significant international legal debates. Some of the most influential international lawyers have and do practise here.
    3. Hugo Grotius, the Dutch jurist and early pioneer of international law came here in 1613 to negotiate the return of two Dutch ships captured by the British. I am pleased to say the Government lawyers of the day made sure he didn’t succeed and he went home empty handed.
    4. One of my personal heroes, and arguably the architect of modern international law, Herscht Lauterpacht, was born near Lviv, lived a few miles North-East of here and spoke up well before it was fashionable for human rights for all, for individual criminal responsibility and the need for an effective system of international law. His son Eli, whose lectures I attended and whom I later instructed, carried on his important work.
    5. And, of course, it was in London, in the summer of 1945, that the allies gathered to put in place one of the most significant cornerstones of international criminal justice of the 20th century – the framework for the tribunal that would ultimately take place in Nuremberg later that year, to try the perpetrators of the atrocities committed during World War II.
    6. It is in that spirit, and on the shoulders of those international lawyers, that this conference comes together – to again take up the heavy responsibility of justice and accountability. I, and the whole of the UK government, are keen to do what we can to ensure justice is done.
    7. Having seen the programme for today’s conference, it is clear that no-one in this room is shirking that responsibility. Nothing has been left off the table – and this is the right approach.
    8. It is an occupational hazard that lawyers disagree – we make our livings out of representing a position and arguing against those who have taken the opposing position. It is in our nature to find the risks, the drawbacks – and explain them to our clients, or a Court. States and policy makers will also, invariably, disagree. That is the nature of our work. We all each have our own national interests and perspectives. But settings like this one allow us all to interrogate the issues, which should in turn enable stronger strides forward together in due course.
    9. My view, and the view of the UK government, is that nothing should be off the table. We will carefully consider all options for accountability. You will see throughout the day my officials and civil servants from across Whitehall departments – kindly invited by our Ukrainian hosts – at the back of the room, noting all of your thoughtful comments and proposals.
    10. Let’s look, though, at what we have achieved so far. The international community’s response to Russia’s illegal invasion has been unprecedented.
    11. The UK played a leading role in gathering support for a State Party referral of the situation in Ukraine to International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan. This enabled him to launch an investigation immediately without seeking authorisation from the court’s judiciary. To date, 43 States Parties to the Rome Statute have supported the referral. It is the largest State Party referral in the court’s history.
    12. The UK is at the forefront of supporting the Court, by seconding national experts and making an additional £1million financial contribution, to help provide enhanced support to witnesses and survivors and for the provision of new technology in evidence collection. We will continue to discuss with the Court what support we might be able to help.
    13. I was in Berlin last week for the first-ever meeting of the G7 Justice Ministers. The focus was how we can better cooperate, and coordinate investigations and prosecutions. Our Berlin Declaration set out our conclusions, including establishing single points of contact in our respective countries.
    14. The work done in Ukraine’s domestic investigations and prosecutions has been extraordinary. Led by my good friend, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin, Ukrainian prosecutors have opened files into almost 50,000 alleged international crimes. They have, and continue to, carry out trials in the course of an ongoing, live and brutal conflict. This is totally unprecedented – and we should recognise it as such. And crucially this is a unique opportunity to deter soldiers on the ground and their commanders from committing further atrocities.
    15. We are proud to have supported Andriy’s work through the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group, together with our friends in the US and EU. And, even as I speak, today Sir Howard Morrison – the UK’s former judge at the ICC and now the UK-appointed Independent Advisor to Andriy and his office – is on his way back from the region, having completed the first of a series of training sessions for Ukrainian judges. These have been developed with the Ukrainian judiciary, to get them ready to try the cases that Andriy will be bringing in the course of the next months and years. Our funding will enable up to 90 Ukrainian judges receive intensive and extensive training on the full range of issues involved in conducting a war crimes case.
    16. Today’s discussion allows us the opportunity, in this peaceful setting, to think and discuss. But we should not let ourselves drift too far from the reality of what is going on in Ukraine. In March, Vika joined our family when she fled the shelling at home. Her grandparents are still living, mainly in their cellar, on the outskirts of Kherson. I know this is a fight shared by those here today, and many, many others around the UK and across the international community. Lawyers are always ready to fight – and there is no fight more serious than this one.
    17. So, may I conclude by thanking you all for your attendance; for all your skills that you are bringing to the discussions. I wish you a very fruitful conference.
  • Victoria Prentis – 2022 Statement on the Serious Fraud Office’s Handling of the Unaoil Case

    Victoria Prentis – 2022 Statement on the Serious Fraud Office’s Handling of the Unaoil Case

    The statement made by Victoria Prentis, the Attorney General, in the House of Commons on 29 November 2022.

    Following the Court of Appeal’s judgment in the Unaoil case, R v. Akle & Anor, in December 2021, the then Attorney General, the right hon. and learned Member for Fareham (Suella Braverman), commissioned Sir David Calvert-Smith to conduct an independent review into the Serious Fraud Office’s handling of the case.

    On 21 July 2022, in a written ministerial statement, the then Attorney General provided Parliament with the findings of Sir David’s review and a response to his recommendations. This also included a commitment to update Parliament on progress in delivering these recommendations in both November 2022 and February 2023. This WMS provides the first of these updates.

    Sir David’s review made 11 recommendations, which were accepted. These cover a range of matters, including record keeping and case assurance, compliance with policies, and resourcing. While many of the changes recommended by Sir David can be—and have been—made quickly, it will necessarily take longer to fully embed his recommendations and assess the effectiveness of changes made.

    Within this context, I am pleased to report that significant progress has been made in delivering Sir David’s recommendations. For nine of the 11 recommendations, the SFO has already implemented specific measures or steps to ensure their effective delivery. For the two remaining recommendations, work has commenced to make changes in response to Sir David’s proposals.

    A detailed update on progress will be published on www.gov.uk today and copies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

    I would also like to take this opportunity to notify Parliament of a change to the timing of the second update on Sir David’s recommendations. This was originally planned for February 2023 but will now be provided by no later than May 2023. This is to allow the findings of an inspection of the SFO by His Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate to be considered as part of the update. The inspection, a report of which will be published in April 2023, is examining case progression in the SFO with reference to relevant findings in Sir David’s review.

  • Victoria Prentis – 2022 Comments on Rishi Sunak Becoming Prime Minister

    Victoria Prentis – 2022 Comments on Rishi Sunak Becoming Prime Minister

    The comments made by Victoria Prentis, the Conservative MP for North Oxfordshire, on Twitter on 21 October 2022.

    Once again, I’m backing Rishi Sunak to be Prime Minister.

    Rishi has what it takes to lead us through difficult times. We have seen him act in the nation’s interest under pressure before. He understands we must beat inflation.

    I know he will bring our country and party together.

  • Victoria Prentis – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

    Victoria Prentis – 2022 Tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II

    The tribute made by Victoria Prentis, the Conservative MP for Banbury, in the House of Commons on 9 September 2022.

    In her address to the nation during the pandemic, resplendent, we remember, in her NHS scrub coloured dress and brooch, Her Majesty praised

    “the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling”,

    which she felt characterised our nation. They are qualities she modelled for us and for which we loved her, but to them she added a less definable quality: a presence, a splendour which came from her deep faith and her certainty that the Crown is at the very centre of our constitution. This, combined with her considerable beauty and charm, meant she lit up every room.

    I will never forget the day she came to Banbury in 2008 on the 400th anniversary of the town’s charter. Later that day, she opened the Oxford Children’s Hospital. My largest donors were corralled for really quite a long time for security reasons before she appeared. The excitement in the room, and some very healthy competition, meant that that was the most lucrative hour I have ever spent in fundraising.

    It is clear from the speeches today that we saw in the Queen a reflection of our own passions—for diplomacy, for charity, for institutions, for the countryside, for racing. We feel that she loved every one of our constituencies. The combination of service and majesty is unbeatable, and this will endure. God save the King.

  • Victoria Prentis – 2022 Comments on Fishing Research Projects

    Victoria Prentis – 2022 Comments on Fishing Research Projects

    The comments made by Victoria Prentis, the Fisheries Minister, on 2 August 2022.

    Our world-class fishing and seafood sectors are packed full of expertise and innovation, and the UK Seafood Fund is making sure these excellent schemes have the financial backing needed to succeed.

    We are already seeing tangible results – from LED lights in fishing nets to attract target species and deter bycatch through to novel whelk pot designs.

    I want our fishing industry to thrive, to be more sustainable and to invest in the people who will make it a success for decades ahead – so I encourage everyone to bring forward their pioneering ideas.

  • Victoria Prentis – 2022 Statement on Food Security Following Russian Invasion of Ukraine

    Victoria Prentis – 2022 Statement on Food Security Following Russian Invasion of Ukraine

    The statement made by Victoria Prentis, the Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, at the UN Ministerial Meeting on Global Food Security on 18 May 2022.

    We are so grateful to the US for leading this week of action.

    Food security is now at the top of all of our agendas, since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    The effects of the war are brought home to me daily by the 25 year old Ukrainian woman who has come to live in our home. When we can find some phone signal, we talk to her grandparents, who are in occupied Kherson, about their daily struggles to find something to eat.

    Famine is once again being used as a weapon of war.

    This doesn’t just affect the brave people of Ukraine.

    Ukraine’s food and fertiliser exports were feeding up to 400 million people worldwide.

    The simplest solution is, of course, for Russia to end the conflict and allow Ukrainian farmers to care for their crops this year.

    We must urgently make multiple plans to export last years’ grain by both rail and sea. And I know that my friend, Minister Solsky, is full of solutions in this regard.

    We must collectively ensure that trade keeps flowing.

    I am pleased that over 50 WTO members have committed to keeping food markets open, predictable and transparent. We should agree to prohibit export restrictions on food bought for the World Food Programme.

    The G7 has a key role to play. Under our Presidency we secured the first ever famine prevention compact. I am delighted that Germany is now picking up the baton and taking this further with the Global Alliance on food security.

    We must all, including multilateral institutions, scale up our support.

    Over the next 3 years, the UK will send £3 billion worth of humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable countries, including in the Horn of Africa, Yemen and Afghanistan.

    And the World Bank must deliver the promised $170 billion over the next 15 months.

    We particularly think of small island developing states, who are so reliant on imports.

    We will continue to use British Investment Partnerships around the world to encourage the universal resilience of global food production.

    The need is urgent. We must act coherently and together, and, as they sing in the Ukrainian national anthem, ‘before the dew dies in the sunshine’. And, we need to ensure that the way we produce food remains sustainable in every sense.

  • Victoria Prentis – 2022 Comments on Selling Pork to Chile

    Victoria Prentis – 2022 Comments on Selling Pork to Chile

    The comments made by Victoria Prentis, the Farming Minister, on 31 March 2022.

    The pig sector is facing a range of challenges and we must make use of all levers available to us. That includes new export markets, and it is great to see the Chilean market open its doors to our pig producers.

    This will be worth £20 million over the next five years and will build on other measures we have introduced to bolster the industry.

  • Victoria Prentis – 2022 Statement on the Annual Fisheries Negotiations

    Victoria Prentis – 2022 Statement on the Annual Fisheries Negotiations

    The statement made by Victoria Prentis, the Minister for Farming, Fisheries and Food, in the House of Commons on 6 January 2022.

    The UK and EU have now reached an agreement on fishing opportunities for the 2022 fishing year. This is the second time the UK has entered into bilateral negotiations with the EU as an independent coastal state, following the signing of the trade and co-operation agreement (TCA) between the UK and EU in 2020.

    In its second year negotiating as a coastal state, the UK has also successfully concluded the UK-EU-Norway trilateral negotiations and UK-Norway bilateral negotiations. Both agreements mark the start of new fisheries arrangements in the North sea and a strong willingness from all parties to collaborate closely in the future.

    The UK Government have worked closely with Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive, and the outcomes secured by the UK will enable us to improve the sustainable management of our fish stocks in support of the whole of the UK fishing industry in the short and long term.

    Collectively from the EU-UK bilateral, EU-UK-Norway trilateral, and coastal states negotiations, the UK has secured agreement on the total allowable catches—TACs—for 86 stocks.

    UK-EU Agreement

    The agreement we have reached with the EU covers 69 UK-EU TACs, resulting in a total value of fishing opportunities for the UK in 2022 of approximately 140,000 tonnes, worth around £313 million, based on historic landing prices.

    Guided by best available scientific advice as part of sustainable fisheries management, the UK and EU agreed reductions across a number of TACs, meaning that overall the UK will have around 12,000 tonnes less quota compared with 2021 from these negotiations. However, even with this reduction, the UK has around 28,000 tonnes more quota from these negotiations than it would have received with its previous shares as an EU member state. This is estimated to be worth around £45 million based on historic landing prices.

    As in previous years, the UK negotiated this year’s TACs taking account of sustainability principles. A full assessment of the number of individual TACs set consistent with International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) advice on catch opportunities will be published shortly and after the conclusion of all the UK’s annual fisheries negotiations and the setting of consultative TACs.

    On exchanges of quota with the EU, the UK and EU agreed to the continuation of the interim exchange mechanism which has operated successfully since July 2021, enabling voluntary exchanges between the UK and member states. This will continue until the Specialised Committee on Fisheries (SCF) can agree a permanent mechanism, as required by the TCA. The UK and EU agreed to hold a final round of exchanges on 21 January 2022 to allow for the wrapping up of this year’s exchanges.

    On non-quota stocks (NQS) the UK and EU resolved the outstanding provisional historic baseline tonnage figures, this includes the removal of catches from Crown dependency waters.

    The revised baseline figures are 12,365 tonnes for UK vessels in EU waters, and 33,023 tonnes for EU vessels in UK waters. It was also agreed to hold further technical discussions from January 2022 to ensure that future data exchanges on NQS uptake are robust and accurate.

    Exceptionally, the UK and EU agreed not to apply the NQS tonnage limits provided for in the TCA for 2022. We will closely monitor uptake data and in the event either party reaches 80% of their total a discussion will be held in the SCF to consider next steps.

    The UK and EU also committed to work at pace to develop multi-year strategies for shared NQS as set out under the TCA, with the aim of developing the first of these by 31 July 2022. Both parties confirmed our shared priority to ensure the sustainable management of NQS stocks from 2023 onwards.

    The UK and EU agreed to roll forward the previously agreed measures for seabass. In addition, it was agreed that further adjustments would be introduced in 2022. These include an increase in the annual limits for landings of bass from hook and lines and fixed gillnets, as well as an amendment to the commercial trawl/seine flexibility.

    Finally, the UK and EU agreed to prioritise and handle NQS, seabass (including the ICES assessment tool), stock without ICES advice, inter-annual quota flexibility and other topics through the Specialised Committee on Fisheries.

    UK-EU-Norway Trilateral Negotiations

    The UK reached an agreement with Norway and the European Union on catch limits for 2022 for six jointly managed stocks in the North sea. The catch limits agreed for 2022 are worth over £184 million to the UK fishing industry.

    The agreement demonstrates the parties’ continued commitment to the sustainable management and long-term viability of cod, haddock, plaice, whiting, herring, and saithe stocks in the North sea. Alongside the total allowable catches—TACs—for 2022, the agreement puts in place a process to review the distribution and management of shared stocks which are important for the whole UK catch sector.

    UK-Norway Bilateral Negotiations

    The agreement reached with Norway includes reciprocal access to each other’s waters. The UK will gain access to 30,000 tonnes of whitefish stocks such as cod, haddock and hake. There will also be access to fish pelagic stock: the UK industry will be able to fish its full quota of Atlanto-Scandian herring in Norwegian waters, and up to 17,000 tonnes should it swap in additional quota from the EU in 2022. In return, Norway will be able to fish up to 17,000 tonnes of North sea herring in UK waters. This is less than a third of the level of access for North sea herring enjoyed by Norway while the UK was a member of the European Union. We also agreed some quota exchange, estimated to be worth just over £5 million. This includes bringing in stocks such as North sea whiting, hake and anglerfish, and Arctic cod.

    The agreement puts in place a process which ensures that the fishing arrangements do not have detrimental consequences for fish stocks and the wider marine environment. The mutual access will also allow respective fleets more flexibility to target the stocks in the best condition throughout the fishing year, supporting a more sustainable and economically viable fishing industry.

    In parallel to the conclusion of these negotiations, Norway has allocated to the UK 6,550 tonnes of cod around Svalbard. This means the UK can fish over 7,000 tonnes of cod in the Arctic in 2022, estimated to be worth around £16 million, and 1,500 tonnes more than in 2021.

    UK-Faroe Island Negotiations

    Bilateral fisheries negotiations between the UK and Faroes are ongoing. Both parties are pursuing a pragmatic and well-balanced agreement. The UK’s overriding priority is to ensure that the deal is in the best interests of the UK industry and protects the marine environment, promoting sustainable stock management.

    Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs)

    The UK is a contracting party to five RFMOs and played a central role in negotiations in 2021 in securing a number of important new RFMO measures for 2022 and beyond. These include a new rebuilding plan for North Atlantic shortfin mako shark in the International Commission for the Conservation for Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), a new management measure for yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), an interim measure for the Greenland salmon fishery in the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO), new “area closures” to protect vulnerable marine ecosystems in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (NAFO), and a measure to protect juvenile haddock at the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC). The UK also confirmed its 2022 shares in the four ICCAT stocks negotiated with the EU under the TCA.

    The UK will build on these successes in 2022 and beyond, working to achieve rapid progress on our priority objectives for RFMOs both in terms of fishing opportunities where appropriate, and furthering our marine conservation priorities.

    Multilateral “Coastal State” Negotiations

    On mackerel, blue whiting and Atlanto-Scandian herring, the UK and other coastal states (the parties responsible for a stock’s management due to it being distributed in their waters) agreed to set the global TACs for 2022 in line with the advice provided by ICES.

    We have also agreed to discuss sharing arrangements for each stock in 2022. The UK will chair discussions on mackerel and Atlanto-Scandian herring.