Crime and Courts Bill Committee

Valerie said:

“I voted for the Opposition amendment that would restore the right of appeal to those who wish to challenge a refusal to grant a family visiting visa to the UK. Of the 1,500 cases the Chief Inspector of UKBA looked at, a third had not had the evidence properly considered by the entry clearance officer. The cost of a reapplication for a family visiting visa should not be borne by the applicant where the first application may have not been considered rigorously.”

“In a previous session of the Committee I questioned the Minister of State for the Home Department over the future of the staff at the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP), and whether they would all move to the new National Crime Agency (NCA). I was pleased that the Minister confirmed that all staff would move to the NCA. There would be no job losses.”

“The county courts are going to become a single court with a national jurisdiction. There are approximately 170 county courts at the moment. This may will help speed up cases in some areas. I asked whether this would lead to individual courts being closed. The Solicitor-General answered that the changes would not alter the experience of having a case heard locally and that there were to be no closures.”

For more information about the Crime and Courts Bill Committee can be found here: http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2012-13/crimeandcourts/committees/houseofcommonspublicbillcommitteeonthecrimeandcourtsbillhl201213.html