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346766

registered interest
date	27/05/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Criminal Proceedings: Legal Costs
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of defendants in criminal cases who were required to pay some or all of their own legal costs and who have been acquitted, or whose charges have been withdrawn, have in the last twelve months (1) had their full legal costs reimbursed, or (2) have been reimbursed their costs at the equivalent of legal aid rates.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL4
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Defendants who have been granted legal aid, but had to make a contribution to their legal aid costs, and are then acquitted or whose charges have been withdrawn, are likely to have all contributions reimbursed, though the trial court does have discretion to decide otherwise in appropriate circumstances.</p><p>Defendants in the Magistrates’ Court who have not been granted legal aid, and defendants in the Crown Court who have applied and had their application refused on financial grounds, who are then acquitted or whose charges have been withdrawn, can obtain a defendants costs order and have their costs determined under sections 16 and 16A of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 and Part III of the Costs in Criminal Cases (General) Regulations 1986.</p><p>As was the case under the previous administration, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) does not record the number of people whose legal costs are reimbursed.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 10/06/2015 15:59:14 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

346767

registered interest
date	27/05/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Criminal Proceedings: Legal Representation
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current estimate of the proportion of defendants in criminal cases appearing without legal representation; whether that proportion has increased since 2013–14; and if so, by how much.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL5
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Data are not held centrally to determine how many criminal cases in the Magistrates’ Court involved a party for whom there was no legal representation.</p><p> </p><p>A methodology is being developed to identify defendants who are not represented by a solicitor or an advocate in the Crown Court. We will look to publish the data in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 08/06/2015 16:09:24 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

346768

registered interest
date	27/05/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Judiciary
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many lay magistrates there were, and how many criminal cases lay magistrates presided over, in England and Wales in 2009; what are their current estimates of how many criminal cases lay magistrates will preside over in 2015, and how many lay magistrates and district judges are required to meet this volume of cases; and what are their plans for recruiting lay magistrates and district judges over the next three years.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL6
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>As of 1st April 2009 there were 28,619 serving magistrates in England and Wales. The number of court cases dealt with in 2009 are recorded for the year from April 2009 to March 2010, during which time the magistrates’ courts dealt with 1,857,461 criminal cases. This figure includes the number of cases presided over by both magistrates and district judges (magistrates’ courts).</p><p> </p><p>It is not possible to split case volumes between magistrates and district judges because a district judge might deal with certain aspects of a case, whilst magistrates might hear other aspects.</p><p> </p><p>Workload forecasts are not prepared on a calendar year basis, and are not broken down between magistrates and district judges (magistrates’ courts). The MoJ is currently planning that the magistrates and district judges (magistrates’ courts) sitting in the magistrates’ courts will preside over around 1,560,000 criminal cases in 2015/16.</p><p> </p><p>The need to recruit magistrates and district judges (magistrates' courts) is reviewed annually as a whole. One of the key aims is to ensure optimal use of both magistrates and district judges, each being essential to the administration of justice.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 08/06/2015 16:16:06 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

346769

registered interest
date	27/05/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	G4S: Government Contracts
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the February 2015 Ofsted Report on Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre and the dismissal of six of its staff for misconduct, what steps they are taking to review the performance of G4S in providing custodial services, and whether G4S will be allowed to tender for new or renewed contracts.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL7
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The safety and welfare of young people in custody is vital and the Ministry of Justice takes the issues raised in the recent Rainsbrook inspection report extremely seriously. We have taken immediate action to make sure these are being addressed by the operator. The leadership at Rainsbrook has been replaced and the Youth Justice Board are closely monitoring the implementation of an action plan.<br> <br> A further unannounced inspection will take place in the Autumn. If G4S fail to resolve the issues raised, further contractual remedies are available, including contract termination.<br> <br> Contracts for the Medway and Rainsbrook Secure Training Centres are currently being retendered. It would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 10/06/2015 12:35:48 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham

346785

registered interest
date	27/05/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the increase in employment tribunal fees on the number of claims brought.
tabling member printed	Lord Lester of Herne Hill
uin	HL23
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Following a public consultation, fees were introduced in Employment Tribunals to reduce the burden on the taxpayer of paying for Employment Tribunals and to encourage parties to seek alternative ways of resolving their disputes.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is anxious to divert people away from potentially acrimonious hearings where possible through a new early conciliation scheme which has already been used by over 60,000 people in its first nine months. There are fee waivers available for those who can not afford to pay.<br></p><p> </p><p>The Government is currently considering the options for a review of Employment Tribunal fees. A further announcement will be made soon.</p><p /> <p /> <p /> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 10/06/2015 12:33:40 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	2037 label Biography information for Lord Lester of Herne Hill

346786

registered interest
date	27/05/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Criminal Proceedings: Fees and Charges
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government why fees in criminal proceedings are, on average, higher when a defendant pleads not guilty.
tabling member printed	Lord Lester of Herne Hill
uin	HL24
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>Section 54 of the Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 specifies the level of criminal courts charges and requires that they do not exceed the costs reasonably attributable to a case of its class. In determining charge levels, the Coalition Government considered the time and resource spent on particular types of proceedings, as well as fixed overhead costs. The charge levels for not-guilty plea proceedings have been set below cost.</p><p>The Government keeps charge levels under review.</p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 10/06/2015 15:58:14 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	2037 label Biography information for Lord Lester of Herne Hill

346836

registered interest
date	27/05/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Human Rights Act 1998
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Wales concerning the implications for the National Assembly for Wales of any changes to the Human Rights Act 1998.
tabling member printed	Lord Wigley
uin	HL74
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Government was elected with a mandate to reform and modernise the UK human rights framework.</p><p>The Government has committed to consult fully on its proposals.</p><p>We will consider the impact of a Bill of Rights on the devolution settlements as we develop our proposals and will fully engage with the devolved administrations.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Faulks question first answered 08/06/2015 16:09:57 answering member 4183 label Biography information for Lord Faulks
tabling member	547 label Biography information for Lord Wigley

346861

registered interest
date	27/05/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Perinatal Mortality
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) stillbirths and (b) perinatal deaths were referred to HM Coroner services in England and Wales in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Daventry
tabling member printed	Chris Heaton-Harris
uin	113
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on the types of cases referred to coroners. However, it does collect data on the conclusions recorded at inquests.</p><p> </p><p>Coroners cannot by law investigate cases in which a child has not lived independently of its mother. They can open an investigation if there is any doubt over whether the child has lived independently, once they have received a report of a death. They can also investigate perinatal deaths which occur in the six days following birth. The Chief Coroner, HHJ Peter Thornton QC, is considering actions to improve consistency and good practice in relation to neonatal deaths.</p><p> </p><p>The table below sets out the number of inquest conclusions which were recorded as stillbirths. This information is also published at <a href="http://www.gov.uk/government/collections/coroners-and-burials-statistics" target="_blank">www.gov.uk/government/collections/coroners-and-burials-statistics</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Stillbirth conclusions recorded</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008</p></td><td><p>7</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009</p></td><td><p>13</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>8</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>14</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>11</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>12</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>6</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Gosport answering member printed Caroline Dinenage question first answered 03/06/2015 16:01:37 answering member 4008 label Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage
tabling member	3977 label Biography information for Chris Heaton-Harris

346871

registered interest
date	27/05/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Drugs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, in how many prisons there are no illegal drugs.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Paul Flynn
uin	92
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/06/2015 answer text <p /> <p>The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) has a comprehensive drug strategy for prisons, which includes elements to both reduce the demand and supply of drugs in prisons. The success of the strategy is illustrated by the reduction of drug misuse in prisons, as measured by the random Mandatory Drug Testing (MDT) programme, which has declined by 17.5 percentage points over the past 17 years, despite the fact that NOMS is testing for more drugs than previously. Positive rates were 7.8% in 2009/2010 and 6.9% in 2014/2015.</p><p> </p><p>The table below shows the 81 prisons in England and Wales that reported no drug misuse, as measured by random MDT, in at least one month of the 2014/15 financial year.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="4"><p><strong>Prisons that recorded no positive random MDT results in </strong></p><p><strong>at least one month in 2014/15</strong></p><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Ashfield</p></td><td><p>Full Sutton</p></td><td><p>Lowdham Grange</p></td><td><p>Swinfen Hall</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Askham Grange</p></td><td><p>Gartree</p></td><td><p>Low Newton</p></td><td><p>Thorn Cross</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bedford</p></td><td><p>Garth</p></td><td><p>Maidstone</p></td><td><p>Usk</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Blantyre House</p></td><td><p>Glen Parva</p></td><td><p>Moorland Open</p></td><td><p>Wakefield</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Brinsford</p></td><td><p>Grendon</p></td><td><p>Mount</p></td><td><p>Warren Hill</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bronzefield</p></td><td><p>Guys Marsh</p></td><td><p>New Hall</p></td><td><p>Wellingborough</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Brixton</p></td><td><p>Haverigg</p></td><td><p>North Sea Camp</p></td><td><p>Werrington</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Buckley Hall</p></td><td><p>Hindley</p></td><td><p>Norwich</p></td><td><p>Wetherby</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bure</p></td><td><p>Hollesley Bay</p></td><td><p>Onley</p></td><td><p>Whatton</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Chelmsford</p></td><td><p>Holloway</p></td><td><p>Peterborough Female</p></td><td><p>Whitemoor</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Coldingley</p></td><td><p>Hull</p></td><td><p>Peterborough Male</p></td><td><p>Winchester</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Dartmoor</p></td><td><p>Humber</p></td><td><p>Prescoed</p></td><td><p>Woodhill</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Deerbolt</p></td><td><p>Huntercombe</p></td><td><p>Portland</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Drake Hall</p></td><td><p>Isle Of Wight</p></td><td><p>Ranby</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East Sutton Park</p></td><td><p>Kennet</p></td><td><p>Rye Hill</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Elmley</p></td><td><p>Kirklevington</p></td><td><p>Send</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Erlestoke</p></td><td><p>Lancaster Farms</p></td><td><p>Spring Hill</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Featherstone</p></td><td><p>Leyhill</p></td><td><p>Stafford</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Feltham</p></td><td><p>Leicester</p></td><td><p>Standford Hill</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Foston Hall</p></td><td><p>Lincoln</p></td><td><p>Stocken</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Ford</p></td><td><p>Lindholme</p></td><td><p>Styal</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Foston Hall</p></td><td><p>Littlehey</p></td><td><p>Sudbury</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Frankland</p></td><td><p>Long Lartin</p></td><td><p>Swaleside</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency South West Bedfordshire answering member printed Andrew Selous question first answered 03/06/2015 13:19:36 answering member 1453 label Biography information for Andrew Selous
tabling member	545 label Biography information for Paul Flynn

346934

registered interest
date	27/05/2015
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Employment Tribunals Service: Fees and Charges
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to conduct a review of the effects of the introduction of employment tribunal fees.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	134
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2015 answer text <p>Following a public consultation, fees were introduced in Employment Tribunals to reduce the burden on the taxpayer of paying for Employment Tribunals and to encourage parties to seek alternative ways of resolving their disputes. <br><br>The Government has ensured that fee waivers are available for those who cannot afford to pay, as well as diverting people away from potentially acrimonious hearings, where possible, through a new early conciliation scheme which has already been used by over 60,000 people in its first six months.<br><br>The Government is currently considering the options for a review of Employment Tribunal fees. A further announcement will be made in due course.<br><br></p> answering member constituency North West Cambridgeshire answering member printed Mr Shailesh Vara question first answered 02/06/2015 16:45:57 answering member 1496 label Biography information for Shailesh Vara
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas