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Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Beith MPLiberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Berwick Upon TweedWorking for you and the Berwick upon Tweed Constituency all year roundin Northumberland and in Westminster |
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Beith attacks plans for spending on "Titan" Prisons
December 9, 2008 11:00 AM
In the debate on the Queen's Speech, Berwick's Lib Dem MP Sir Alan Beith criticised plans for massive spending on three "Titan" prisons.
Alan Beith said:
"There will not be an effective justice system if money continues to be spent without regard to the effectiveness of that spending. For example, no cost-benefit analysis has been conducted on the plan to create massive Titan prisons.
"If we spend lots of money on creating more prisons, but at the same time send out unrehabilitated, unsupervised or unsupported prisoners, there will be more crimes and more victims of crime. If we spend money on prisons that is needed for early-years intervention, youth work or community sentences, there will be more criminals and more victims. We therefore need to look at all the money that we spend in the criminal justice system and at whether it is being spent effectively."
Alan Beith also criticised the Government for not including an effective Bill on party funding.
"We need a Bill based on the Hayden Phillips report and the work of the Justice Committee which is bringing members of all parties together to reach a common conclusion. We must get the big money out of politics and accept that all parties would have to make some sacrifices to reach that point."
Sir Alan welcomed the inclusion of a Bill on Coroners, but said that part-time coroners should still be appointed to ensure that in rural areas like North Northumberland, bereaved families did not have to travel long distances to meet the Coroner or his staff.
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