Caroline Nokes
MP for Romsey and Southampton North · Conservative · United Kingdom
“I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his point of order. He will be conscious that there are in the region of 15 more Members wishing to speak in this debate, and we have not yet heard from the Minister, so I am not minded to accept a closure motion at this point.”
“(3) For paragraph (3A) substitute— “(3A) The returning officer shall also provide each polling station with such equipment as is necessary to ensure that relevant persons are able to vote independently and in secret, including— (a) tactile equipment that enables the voter to navigate the ballot paper and accurately mark their chosen candi…”
“(2) During the period commencing 30 minutes before the time appointed for the taking of a poll at an election, and ending 30 minutes after the close of the said poll, a person shall not, in or in the curtilage of a polling station or in any place within 50 metres of such station, for the purpose of promoting the interest of a political pa…”
“New clause 97— Power of Electoral Commission to require disclosure from financial institutions — “In Schedule 19B of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (investigatory powers of Commission), after paragraph 1 insert— “Power to require disclosure from financial institutions 1A(1) The Commission may give a disclosure n…”
“() In paragraph 6 of schedule 6 (Donations from impermissible donors), after “section 54(1)(a)” insert— “or section 55B.” (8) In Schedule 20, in Table after Section 56(3) or (4) (failure to return donations) On summary conviction: statutory maximum or 6 months On indictment: fine or 1 year” Insert— Section 55A(8) (cap on donations) On sum…”
“(2) The specified elections for the purposes of subsection (1) are— (a) UK parliamentary elections, and (b) local government elections in England and Wales.”
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Every one of 5,486 lines we hold for Caroline Nokes, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 16 of 110.
“I thank both Members for their points of order. May I seek clarification that the right hon. Member for Newark (Robert Jenrick) was informed of them in advance?”
“The terms and conditions for downloading and making use of clips from parliamentlive.tv are published online. Although it would not be appropriate for me to refer to guidance given to individual Members, I urge all colleagues to follow the rules. Ultimately, I am not responsible for what Members post online. How we treat each other is important and sets the tone for national debate. I ask Members to consider carefully what is in good or bad taste, and to exercise good judgment in what they post online about colleagues. On the broader point about the use of AI in relation to footage of our proceedings, that is an issue that the Administration Committee may wish to pursue. In particular, the House might benefit from considering whether the current licensing rules and enforcement mechanisms are appropriate.”
“I inform the House that the Nathan Gill bribery case is still technically sub judice until sentencing on 21 November. However, given that the accused has pleaded guilty to the charges, and in the light of Members’ continued interest in this case in the context of Russian interference in British politics, Mr Speaker has granted a limited waiver to allow discussion of the case during today’s proceedings. Members should avoid making reference to sentencing issues.”
“Before I put the Question, I would like to confirm whether the hon. Member informed the hon. Members for Clacton (Nigel Farage) and for Boston and Skegness (Richard Tice) of his intention to refer to them. If he has not, it would have been a courtesy for him to have done so in advance. Question put and agreed to. Ordered, That Calum Miller, James MacCleary, Monica Harding, Dr Al Pinkerton, Mike Martin, Richard Foord, Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Stephen Gethins, Sir Julian Lewis and Alex Sobel present the Bill. Calum Miller accordingly presented the Bill. Bill read the First time; to be read a Second time on Friday 30 January 2026, and to be printed (Bill 326).”
“Order. Before I call the Chair of the Defence Committee, let me inform Members that a five-minute speaking time limit will be imposed after the speech from the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.”
“I am grateful to the hon. Lady for having given notice of her point of order, and I take it that she has notified both the Secretary of State at the DWP and the former Secretary of State at the DWP of her intention to refer to them in the Chamber.”
“This, as the hon. Lady will know, is not a matter for the Chair, but she has put her point very much on the record and I am sure that those on the Treasury Bench will have noted her comments.”
“Order. Before I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson, I make it clear that we will be on a six-minute time limit from the first Back Bencher. I call Sarah Olney.”
“Order. The hon. Member should say, “What action are they going to take?” If she says, “What action are you going to take?” that means me, and I am not taking any.”
“Order. After the next speaker, I will reduce the time limit to four minutes. However, it might be helpful if I draw every Member’s attention to page 5 of “Rules of behaviour and courtesies in the House of Commons”, specifically as it pertains to interventions. It is rude to come into the Chamber and intervene when you have not been here for the majority of the debate.”
“Order. The hon. Member means to say the then shadow Home Secretary, the right hon. Member for Hackney somewhere or other—apologies for not knowing.”
“Order. I am very conscious that the hon. Member for Bolsover (Natalie Fleet) made an impassioned and moving speech, but I remind Members that we must refer to her as the hon. Member for Bolsover.”
“Order. I currently have no plans to put a time limit on contributions, but Members might like to reflect on how many colleagues are here and adjust their remarks accordingly.”
“Order. Mr Shannon, I am sure we are all fascinated by from whom you are descended, but could I respectfully point out that Members who have not been in the Chamber for the bulk of this debate should not be making lengthy interventions?”
“I am not sure that it is entirely in order to correct the record, but there are, in fact, images of Donald Dewar in the parliamentary collection. Question put and agreed to. Resolved , That this House has considered devolution in Scotland.”
“Clause 1 Presumption of suspended sentence order for sentences of 12 months or less”
“I remind Members that in Committee, they should not address the Chair as Deputy Speaker. Please use our names when addressing the Chair. Madam Chair, Chair and Madam Chairman are also acceptable. Before I call the right hon. Member for Tatton (Esther McVey) to move amendment 46, I should advise the Committee that once that amendment has been disposed of at the end of the debate, I am provisionally minded to call the following amendments and new clauses for separate decision: amendment 24, in the name of the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle (Dr Mullan); new clause 6, in the name of the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty); new clause 9, in the name of the hon. Member for Bexhill and Battle; and new clause 30, in the name of the hon. Member for Chichester (Jess Brown-Fuller).”
“19) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offender is being sentenced for three or more offences.” New clause 61— No presumption of suspended sentence (No. 20) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offender has already been convicted of committing the same offence three or more times.” New clause 62— Expiry — “This Act expires at the end of the period of 2 years beginning with the day on which it is passed.” Schedules 1 to 4 stand part. Government new schedule 1— Sentence with fixed licence period in Scotland or Northern Ireland: consequential provision — Government amendment 21.”
“16) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offence, or an associated offence, was committed while the offender was on licence, or subject to supervision, under Chapter 6 of Part 12 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (release, licences, supervision and recall).” New clause 58— No presumption of suspended sentence (No. 17) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offence, or an associated offence, is an offence under section 6(1) or (2) of the Bail Act 1976 (failure to surrender to custody).” New clause 59— No presumption of suspended sentence (No. 18) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offender has a history of poor compliance with court orders.” New clause 60— No presumption of suspended sentence (No.”
“14) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offender has breached previous suspended sentence orders three or more times, either by failing to comply with the requirements of the orders or by re-offending during the order’s operational period.” New clause 56— No presumption of suspended sentence (No. 15) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offence, or an associated offence, was committed while the offender was subject to a supervision order.” New clause 57— No presumption of suspended sentence (No.”
“12)— “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offence, or an associated offence, has a connection to terrorism, including but not limited to offences relating to terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2000, the Terrorism Act 2006 and the Explosive Substances Act 1883.” New clause 54— No presumption of suspended sentence (No. 13) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offence, or an associated offence, is one that falls under the Unduly Lenient Sentence Scheme under sections 35 and 36 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.” New clause 55— No presumption of suspended sentence (No.”
“9) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offence, or an associated offence, has a mandatory minimum sentence.” New clause 51— No presumption of suspended sentence (No. 10) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offence, or an associated offence, involves a firearm or ammunition including but not limited to the Firearms Act 1968 and the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006.” New clause 52— No presumption of suspended sentence (No. 11) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offence, or an associated offence, is one of burglary.” New clause 53— No presumption of suspended sentence (No.”
“6) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offender has committed 10 or more other previous offences at the time of the offence or at the time of conviction for the offence.” New clause 48— No presumption of suspended sentence (No. 7) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offender has previously received a suspended sentence order for the same offence.” New clause 49— No presumption of suspended sentence (No. 8) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offender has previously received a custodial sentence for the same offence.” New clause 50— No presumption of suspended sentence (No.”
“3) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offence, or an associated offence, either involves possession of or threatening with an article with a blade or point or an offensive weapon.” New clause 45— No presumption of suspended sentence (No. 4) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offence, or an associated offence, is aggravated by section 68A of the Sentencing Act 2020 (assaults on those providing a public service etc).” New clause 46— No presumption of suspended sentence (No. 5) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offender has committed or been convicted of three other offences in the 12 months preceding the offence.” New clause 47— No presumption of suspended sentence (No.”
“New clause 41— No presumption of suspended sentence — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offender is not a British citizen or an Irish citizen.” New clause 42— Tagging of offenders receiving suspended sentences — “Where a court has imposed a suspended sentence, it must impose a condition that an offender must be subject to electronic monitoring for the duration of that sentence.” New clause 43— No presumption of suspended sentence (No. 2) — “The presumption of a suspended sentence will not apply if the offence, or an associated offence, is an offence under section 1 of the Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act 2018 or section 89 (1) of the Police Act 1996.” New clause 44— No presumption of suspended sentence (No.”
“(2) Where an individual is held in custodial demand pending trial, the probation service must provide access to the same— (a) education; (b) therapy; and (c) any other support that the probation service deems appropriate, that is available to prisoners after sentencing.” This new clause would allow prisoners held on remand to access rehabilitative programmes, education, therapy and other support before the start of their sentence.”
“New clause 39— Suspension of driving licences during bail for driving related offences — “(1) This section applies where an individual has been granted bail in respect of one of the following offences— (a) dangerous or careless driving; (b) drink driving; or (c) drug driving. (2) The court may suspend the driving licence of the individual, pending the outcome of any criminal proceedings.” This new clause would allow the court to suspend the driving licence of an individual charged for certain driving offences, pending the outcome of the trial. New clause 40— Access to rehabilitation programmes and education for individuals held on remand — “(1) Where an individual is held in custodial remand pending sentencing, the probation service must provide access to the same rehabilitative programmes that are available to prisoners after sentencing.”
“(2) The assessment should consider— (a) how screening for traumatic brain injuries could inform the management of a prisoner’s sentence, (b) the health services and rehabilitation programmes available for prisoners with traumatic brain injuries, and (c) any other matters that the Secretary of State deems appropriate. (3) The Secretary of State must, within a year of the passing of this Act, lay a copy of the assessment made under this section before Parliament.” This new clause would require the Secretary of State to carry out an assessment of the potential benefits of introducing standardised screening for traumatic brain injuries for prisoners starting a custodial sentence.”
“(2) The Secretary of State must, within a year of the passing of this Act, lay a copy of the assessment under this section before Parliament.” This new clause would require the Secretary of State to carry out an assessment of the potential benefits of creating mandatory rehabilitative programmes about women and girls, for individuals sentenced for certain offences. New clause 38— Screening for traumatic brain injuries — “(1) The Secretary of State must undertake an assessment of the potential costs and benefits of screening all prisoners for traumatic brain injuries at the start of their custodial sentence.”
“(2) In this section— (a) ‘domestic abuse’ has the meaning given by section 1 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and (b) ‘personally connected’ has the meaning given by section 2 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.” This new clause would require a court to treat a domestic abuse offence as aggravated. New clause 37— Rehabilitative programmes for offences relating to violence against women and girls — “(1) The Secretary of State must undertake an assessment of the potential benefits of creating mandatory rehabilitative programmes about women and girls, for individuals sentenced for— (a) assault; (b) battery; or (c) actual bodily harm when the victim is a woman or girl.”
“(4) The Secretary of State must, within a year of the passing of this Act, lay a copy of the assessment under this section before Parliament.” This new clause would require the probation service to assess the potential benefits of establishing specialist probation teams to supervise offenders who are high-risk; have complex mental health or substance misuse needs; and young offenders transitioning to adult supervision. New clause 36— Domestic abuse aggravated offences — “(1) A court must treat an offence committed in England and Wales as domestic abuse aggravated, if— (a) the offender and the victim are personally connected to each other; and (b) the offence involves behaviour which constitutes domestic abuse.”
“New clause 35— Specialist teams for high-risk or complex offenders — “(1) The probation service must undertake an assessment of the potential benefits of establishing specialist probation teams to supervise— (a) high-risk offenders, (b) offenders with complex mental health needs, (c) offenders with substance misuse needs, and (d) young offenders who are transitioning to adult supervision. (2) The assessment must consider the potential benefits of specialist probation teams having lower average caseloads per probation officer. (3) The assessment must consider the potential arrangements for specialist probation teams accessing support from other relevant agencies.”
“(2) The assessment must consider the following potential functions of a sentence management system— (a) tracking offender progress, (b) providing for the sharing of information between the courts, probation service, and other relevant agencies, subject to the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, (c) monitoring compliance with rehabilitation programmes, and (d) any other functions that the Secretary of State deems appropriate.” This new clause would require the Secretary of State to undertake an assessment of implementing a digital sentence management system for prisoners and individuals subject to supervision by the probation service.”
“(2) The Secretary of State must lay before Parliament, each year, a report on the availability and use of the services provided under subsection (1).” This new clause would require the probation service to ensure people under its supervision can access mental health and substance misuse services; education, training and support; and approved behaviour change or offender management programmes, and to report annually on the availability and uptake of those services. New clause 34— Digital systems for tracking offender progress — “(1) The Secretary of State must, within one year of the passing of this Act, undertake an assessment of the benefits and costs of implementing a digital sentence management system for prisoners and individuals who are subject to supervision by the probation service.”
“(2) The Secretary of State must, each year, lay before Parliament a report on compliance with the caseload limits set under this section.” This new clause would require the Secretary of State to set maximum caseloads for probation before implementation of the Act, and to report annually on compliance. New clause 33— Access to rehabilitation and support services — “(1) The probation service must ensure all individuals subject to licence conditions, community orders, or other court-imposed supervision have access to— (a) NHS mental health and substance misuse services, (b) education, training and employment support, and (c) approved behaviour change or offender behaviour programmes.”
“(2) The Secretary of State must, within a year of the passing of this Act, lay a copy of the assessment under subsection (1) before Parliament.” This new clause would require the Secretary of State to undertake an assessment of the potential benefits of using the monies raised through income reduction orders to fund support for victims. New clause 32— Probation caseloads — “(1) The Secretary of State must, before laying regulations to commence the provisions in this Act, establish maximum caseload limits for probation officers supervising individuals subject to— (a) licence conditions; (b) community orders; or (c) any other form of court-imposed supervision by the probation service.”
“(8) This section comes into force at the end of the period of two months beginning with the day on which this Act is passed.” This new clause would implement the recommendation of the Justice Committee’s 2022 Report that there should be a resentencing exercise in relation to all IPP sentenced individuals, and to establish a time-limited expert committee, including a member of the judiciary, to advise on the practical implementation of such an exercise. New clause 31— Use of funds raised through income reduction orders — “(1) The Secretary of State must undertake an assessment of the potential benefits and costs of directing the funds raised from income reduction orders into a fund that provides support for victims.”
“(7) In this section— ‘IPP sentence’ means a sentence of imprisonment or detention in a young offender institution for public protection under section 225 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 or a sentence of detention for public protection under section 226 of that Act (including such a sentence of imprisonment or detention passed as a result of section 219 or 221 of the Armed Forces Act 2006); ‘original offence’ means the offence in relation to which the IPP sentence was imposed.”
“(6) In relation to the exercise of the power in subsection (4)— (a) that power is to be treated as a power to re-sentence under the Sentencing Code (see section 402(1) of the Sentencing Act 2020); (b) the Code applies for the purposes of this section (and, accordingly, it does not matter that a person serving an IPP sentence was convicted of an offence before 1 December 2020).”
“(2) Those arrangements must include arrangements relating to the establishment of a committee to provide advice regarding the discharge of the Lord Chancellor’s duty under subsection (1). (3) The committee established by virtue of subsection (2) must include a judge nominated by the Lord Chief Justice. (4) A court that imposed an IPP sentence has the power to re-sentence the prisoner in relation to the original offence. (5) But the court may not impose a sentence that is a heavier penalty than the sentence that was imposed for the original offence.”
“(2) Within twelve months of the publication of a report under subsection (1) above and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State must publish a further report on progress against the objectives set out in subsection (1).” This new clause would require the Government to report to Parliament on how it will improve support for offenders with gambling addictions and ensure that gambling disorder is recognised as a mental health condition by sentencing courts. New clause 30— Re-sentencing those serving a sentence of imprisonment for public protection — “(1) The Lord Chancellor must make arrangements for, and relating to, the re-sentencing of all prisoners serving IPP sentences within 18 months beginning on the day on which this Act is passed.”
“New clause 29— Gambling addiction: support for offenders — “(1) The Secretary of State must, within six months of the passing of this Act, publish a report on how the Government will ensure that— (a) sentencing courts treat gambling disorder as a mental disorder for the purposes of section 232 of the Sentencing Code; (b) sentencing courts have access to appropriate clinical advice on the impact of a gambling disorder on offending behaviour, where relevant; and (c) offenders have access to treatment and peer support for gambling disorder, both in prison and in the community.”
“(6) In sub-paragraph (5), “treatment period” means— (a) if the order specifies separate periods under sub-paragraph (4), any of those periods; (b) otherwise, the period specified under sub-paragraph (1).”’” This new clause would introduce a new gambling treatment requirement, requiring an offender to seek NHS gambling addiction treatment as part of a community order.”
“(2) In this paragraph— (a) “gambling treatment”, in relation to an offender, means— (i) treatment provided through a specialist NHS gambling service or gambling clinic; or (ii) another form of NHS treatment determined by a qualified clinician to have the best chance of reducing or eliminating the offender’s gambling addiction; and (b) ”qualified clinician” means an NHS clinical psychologist or a psychiatrist with appropriate professional qualifications. (3) Sub-paragraphs (4) and (5) apply to a relevant order which imposes a gambling treatment requirement. (4) The order may specify separate periods comprising the period specified under sub-paragraph (1). (5) For each treatment period, the order may specify the treatment provider but must not otherwise specify the nature of the treatment.”
“(2) In section 201 (community order: community order requirements table), after the entry in the table relating to the alcohol abstinence and monitoring requirement, insert— ‘(3) In Schedule 9 (community orders and suspended sentence orders: requirements), after Part 12 insert— “Part 12a GAMBLING TREATMENT REQUIREMENT 26A(1) In this Code “gambling treatment requirement”, in relation to a relevant order, means a requirement that during a period specified in the order the offender must seek gambling addiction treatment through the National Health Service.”
“(4) The Secretary of State may by regulations make further provision under this section.’” This new clause would require the preparation of a risk assessment for any foreign criminal being deported after a stalking conviction, and for the assessment to be shared with the authorities in the country to which the offender is returning. New clause 28— Gambling treatment requirement — “(1) The Sentencing Code is amended as follows.”
“(2) Where this section applies, prior to deportation, a risk assessment must be prepared to assess the likelihood after deportation of the foreign criminal— (a) committing an offence which, were it to be committed in England or Wales, would constitute a further offence under sections 2A or 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 or section 42A of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001; or (b) contacting or seeking to contact the victim of the offence for which the foreign criminal was convicted in England or Wales. (3) A risk assessment prepared under this section must be shared, subject to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018, with the relevant authorities in the country to which the foreign criminal will be deported.”
“(2) After section 32 (Automatic deportation) insert— “32A Deportation following stalking offences (1) This section applies where a foreign criminal— (a) has been convicted of an offence under sections 2A or 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 or section 42A of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001; and (b) is subject to a deportation order under this Act.”
“(3) The Commission must review all cases referred to it within 8 weeks of receiving any such referral and must, within that time, make its decision. (4) If the Commission decides that the case should be referred to the Court of Appeal by reason of an unduly harsh sentence then, immediately upon receipt of the referral, the Court of Appeal must make an order that the person sentenced be released on temporary licence (“ROTL”) until further order of the court, and the Court of Appeal must also determine suitable bail conditions, if any and the person sentenced must remain ROTL until the Court of Appeal has determined the referral.”’ New clause 27— Foreign criminals: stalking— ‘(1) The UK Borders Act 2007 is amended as follows.”
“(b) the references to sections 11 and 35(1) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 shall be read as references to sections 10(2) and 33(1) of the Criminal Appeal (Northern Ireland) Act 1980, respectively; and (c) the reference in subsection (3A) to a minimum term order made under section 321 of the Sentencing Code shall be read as a reference to an order under Article 5(1) of the Life Sentences (Northern Ireland) Order 2001. 36C The Commission (1) The Commission under section 36B is the same body as that established under section 8 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 and the provisions of section 8 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 shall apply to the role of the Commission under this Part. (2) Sections 9, 10, and 12A to 25 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 shall apply to this Part.”