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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 26 Nov 2025
Sentencing Bill

"I speak to Amendment 36, and will also speak to Amendment 39.

Amendment 79 in the name of my noble friend Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames is in this group. As rapid consultation during the course of this afternoon’s proceedings has revealed that none of us is entirely clear what we …..."
Baroness Hamwee - View Speech

View all Baroness Hamwee (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Sentencing Bill
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 26 Nov 2025
Sentencing Bill

"No, the noble Lord, Lord Lemos, is quite right. I had only realised it shortly before we came to this group. “Discouraged” means no in House of Lords language, I think. So I wonder whether the Minister can regard me as having spoken to what is set out in quite …..."
Baroness Hamwee - View Speech

View all Baroness Hamwee (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Sentencing Bill
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 26 Nov 2025
Sentencing Bill

"..."
Baroness Hamwee - View Speech

View all Baroness Hamwee (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Sentencing Bill
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 26 Nov 2025
Sentencing Bill

"My Lords, I got my calculator out because I was reminding myself, so far as I could, what the amount might be, in cash terms, that an offender could be left with. I am not sure that I believe what I am finding, multiplying the national minimum wage by 170 …..."
Baroness Hamwee - View Speech

View all Baroness Hamwee (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Sentencing Bill
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 26 Nov 2025
Sentencing Bill

"That is helpful, because what is a high income to one person is not necessarily a high income in the eyes of another. I am grateful to the Minister for his response to the amendments and for dealing with them in that way. I beg leave to withdraw Amendment 36...."
Baroness Hamwee - View Speech

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Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 26 Nov 2025
Sentencing Bill

"..."
Baroness Hamwee - View Speech

View all Baroness Hamwee (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Sentencing Bill
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 26 Nov 2025
Sentencing Bill

"My Lords, my noble friend Lord Marks of Henley-on-Thames has added his name to this amendment, which would ensure that sentencing guidelines

“provide that domestic abuse is an aggravating factor”.

Clause 6 puts into statute a provision that if the court is passing a sentence and

“is of the view …..."
Baroness Hamwee - View Speech

View all Baroness Hamwee (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Sentencing Bill
Speech in Lords Chamber - Wed 26 Nov 2025
Sentencing Bill

"I am grateful to the Minister for that. As I have said earlier today, I have struggled with the guidelines, which are long and dense. Without seeing the individual offences which domestic abuse aggravates—if I have the words in the right order there—it is hard to respond, although I retain …..."
Baroness Hamwee - View Speech

View all Baroness Hamwee (LD - Life peer) contributions to the debate on: Sentencing Bill
Written Question
Employment: Prisoners' Release
Tuesday 13th February 2024

Asked by: Baroness Hamwee (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to raise awareness of the benefits to business of employing prison-leavers and to support businesses to do so.

Answered by Lord Bellamy

We remain committed in increasing the number of prison leavers securing employment on release. The proportion of prison leavers who were employed six months after release more than doubled in the two years to March 2023, from 14% to over 30%. Meanwhile, the proportion who were in employment six weeks after their release almost doubled in the same period, from 9.8% to 19.4%

We know that supporting businesses and raising awareness around the benefits of employing prison leavers are integral in continuing this upward trend.

New Futures Network is the prison service’s specialist employment team that supports businesses to fill skills gaps and prisoners to find employment on release. They use a dedicated website and social media pages to inform the public, including employers, about the opportunities to recruit from prisons. New Futures Network brokers three main types of partnership between prisons and employers:

  • Prison industries and academies: Workspaces set up by businesses, staffed by prisoners.
  • Release on Temporary Licence: Paid work placements in the community for risk-assessed serving prisoners.
  • Employment on release: When employers offer opportunities to individuals following their release from prison.

To increase awareness across sectors facing labour market shortages, in October 2022 New Futures Network began running a series of ‘Unlocking Potential’ recruitment drives in prisons. The most recent event in October 2023, Unlocking Hospitality, saw around 65 events held across 40 sites, attended by 40 employers and 885 prisoners. This resulted in 184 interviews and 45 job offers to date.

We also know that employers want to hear from other employers when talking about the benefits of employing prison leavers. Employment Advisory Boards bring together experienced professionals across the private and third sectors and have been established across 93 prisons. Chaired by business leaders, these are a forum to collaborate with leadership teams within prisons, to support them in creating a positive culture of employment.

Similarly, we continue to work with the Employers Forum for Reducing Re-offending (EFFRR), an HMPPS-led group currently chaired by Greggs. This is a collective of local and national employers that provide training and employment opportunities for ex-offenders, including Greene King, Timpson, Marks & Spencer, Willmott Dixon and many more.

New Futures Network have also partnered with the Department for Education to raise awareness by featuring an employing prison leavers item on their business webpages: Find training and employment schemes for your business (education.gov.uk).

Written Question
Victims' Commissioner: Public Appointments
Monday 7th August 2023

Asked by: Baroness Hamwee (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to appoint a Victims Commissioner.

Answered by Lord Bellamy

A recruitment campaign to appoint the next Commissioner is underway and it is right that the new Lord Chancellor looks at this carefully. We hope to announce the outcome of the campaign as soon as possible.

At both Ministerial and official level, we engage with the victims’ sector on a regular basis to ensure the voices of victims and witnesses are heard while the appointment of the next Victims’ Commissioner is being made.