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1019521

	registered interest
	date	03/12/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of Justice
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that access to justice is maintained after the implementation period of the Withdrawal Agreement.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester East
	tabling member printed	Keith Vaz
	uin	198178
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/12/2018 answer text <p>The ability of individuals to resolve their legal problems is vital to the rule of law and the government will continue its commitment to maintain access to justice.</p><p> </p><p>The Political Declaration establishes the parameters of an ambitious, broad and flexible future partnership between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU). This includes a commitment to explore options for a new agreement on family judicial cooperation. It also sets out the ambition for a future security partnership, which will provide for comprehensive, close, balanced and reciprocal law enforcement and judicial cooperation in criminal matters.</p><p> </p><p>We have also reached agreement with the EU on how existing civil and criminal judicial cooperation cases will be brought to their conclusion in the event that we are unable to reach an agreement on a satisfactory future relationship at the end of the implementation period.</p><ul><li>On civil, we have broadly agreed with the EU that if proceedings are started ahead of the end of the implementation period, they will be concluded under the existing EU rules and that subsequent judgments in those proceedings will also be enforced.</li></ul><ul><li>On criminal, any request for judicial cooperation before the end of the Implementation Period, under the EU measures that remain in force during the IP, will proceed until it is concluded under the applicable EU rules. This applies both to requests accepted by the UK and those requests made by the UK to remaining member states.</li></ul> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 11/12/2018 12:28:39 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	338 label Biography information for Keith Vaz

1027467

	registered interest
	date	18/12/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of Justice
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What assessment he has made of the effect of recent trends in the number of court (a) staff and (b) closures on access to justice.
	tabling member constituency	Weaver Vale
	tabling member printed	Mike Amesbury
	uin	908262
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>Providing effective access to justice is at the heart of all decisions the Government makes regarding our justice system. We are committed to making sure that our court and tribunal services can be accessed by those that need to do so.</p><p> </p><p>HMCTS staffing levels are appropriate to make sure that effective access to justice is maintained.</p><p> </p><p>All court closures are subject to public consultation and the responses received are considered carefully before final decisions are made. Impact Assessments are published alongside the consultations.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 18/12/2018 17:08:37 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4667 label Biography information for Mike Amesbury

1122317

	registered interest
	date	23/04/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of Justice
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What assessment he has made of the effect of recent changes in courts staffing and courts closures on access to justice.
	tabling member constituency	Heywood and Middleton
	tabling member printed	Liz McInnes
	uin	910445
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/04/2019 answer text <p>Any decision to close a court is not taken lightly, but in circumstances where 41% of our courts operated in 2016-17 at half their available capacity and where we are investing £1 billion in courts and bringing them up to date, the Ministry of Justice has to think carefully about where our court resources are most effectively and efficiently spent.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 23/04/2019 16:35:26 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4342 label Biography information for Liz McInnes

917247

	registered interest
	date	05/06/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of Justice
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What steps his Department is taking to improve access to justice.
	tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire North
	tabling member printed	Gavin Newlands
	uin	905595
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2018 answer text <p>The Government has a responsibility to make sure that those in the greatest hardship and at the times of greatest need, can secure access to justice. This is a responsibility that we take very seriously.</p><p><br>Last year, we spent £1.6 billion on legal aid – over a fifth of the Ministry of Justice’s budget.</p><p><br>As we all know, legal aid is just one part of the access to justice landscape. Our £1bn court modernisation programme has already started transforming how people experience the justice system.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 05/06/2018 16:55:35 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4420 label Biography information for Gavin Newlands

1061104

	registered interest
	date	14/02/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of Justice: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on the criminal justice system of reductions to his Departmental's budget.
	tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
	tabling member printed	Tom Brake
	uin	221555
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/02/2019 answer text <p>We are focused on ensuring that we continue to deliver justice in a modernised criminal justice system, and are delivering this through investment and effective management of the system.</p><p> </p><p>We are investing £1billion to provide a court system that is accessible to all, works better for everyone, and will ensure our courts are fit for the future. We also spent £1.6bn on legal aid last year alone, more than half of which was on criminal legal aid, and are now making changes to ensure it is available into the future and continues to play an important role in supporting access to justice. We are also working closely with the Attorney General’s Office and Home Office to ensure that all the agencies involved in the criminal justice system have a shared overview of the challenges, opportunities and reforms facing it and an effective forum for tackling these through the Criminal Justice Board.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 22/02/2019 14:25:01 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1061105

	registered interest
	date	14/02/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of Justice: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations he has made to the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding of the criminal justice system in the forthcoming Government spending review.
	tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
	tabling member printed	Tom Brake
	uin	221556
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/02/2019 answer text <p>As we move towards the forthcoming Spending Review, the Secretary of State is considering closely the most important areas to focus on over the next 5 years to provide an effective and fair justice system, safe and decent prisons, and stable, effective probation services that protect the public and reduce reoffending.</p><p> </p><p>My officials and the Ministerial team are continuing to work closely with HM Treasury, the Cabinet Office and partners in other government departments to ensure we have an appropriate and sustainable funding strategy for the MoJ that enables us to deliver our desired outcomes.</p><p> </p><p>We are committed to delivering an efficient and effective criminal justice system while playing our part in contributing to the government’s wider fiscal objectives. We will continue to work with my colleagues, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to deliver this.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 25/02/2019 17:44:32 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer previous answer version 103971 answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

964830

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of Justice: Mental Illness
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people requiring a psychiatric assessment before a court case can proceed; and what information he holds on the cost of such assessments.
	tabling member constituency	Bermondsey and Old Southwark
	tabling member printed	Neil Coyle
	uin	169395
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2018 answer text <p>Information on the numbers and cost of psychiatric assessments is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 11/09/2018 13:10:53 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4368 label Biography information for Neil Coyle

1005722

	registered interest
	date	12/11/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of Justice: Older People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking help older people maintain access to services in a modernising court system.
	tabling member constituency	Clacton
	tabling member printed	Giles Watling
	uin	190522
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/11/2018 answer text <p>Ensuring access to justice is a fundamental principle of the Government and judiciary’s £1bn reform programme to transform our courts and tribunals system. The reform programme aims to expand the ways users can resolve their justice needs, while maintaining and improving traditional methods for those who need them. We are designing the reformed services to be accessible for all, including older users, and to provide users with options on how they can interact with our services as well as access appropriate support, should they need to do so.</p><p> </p><p>Many users will be able to benefit from new digital services and, if needed, will be able to seek telephone or face to face support to help them to use these. This ‘assisted digital’ support is currently in place for the ‘Application’ stage for our reformed services for Divorce, Civil Money Claims, Social Security &amp; Child Support Tribunal, Probate and the Single Justice Service. Where assisted digital support is not appropriate or sufficient, users will continue to be able to use traditional methods, such as paper forms, which are also being improved and made more accessible.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 19/11/2018 15:38:06 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4677 label Biography information for Giles Watling

1108787

	registered interest
	date	01/04/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Administration of Justice: Rural Areas
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the ability of people living in rural areas to access justice.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff Central
	tabling member printed	Jo Stevens
	uin	239263
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/04/2019 answer text <p>Based on the most recent data available, the table below shows how many firms (and where a firm has multiple branches, the total number of offices) were active in any given year providing legal aid services in criminal matters.</p><p> </p><p>Numbers of both firms and offices have fluctuated due to a number of factors, including mergers and acquisitions, trends in the rates of criminal offending, and the impact of other policies and market conditions.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>2018/19</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Firms</p></td><td><p>1,861</p></td><td><p>1,722</p></td><td><p>1,656</p></td><td><p>1,603</p></td><td><p>1,517</p></td><td><p>1,512</p></td><td><p>1,388</p></td><td><p>1,314</p></td><td><p>1,271</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Offices</p></td><td><p>2,598</p></td><td><p>2,415</p></td><td><p>2,338</p></td><td><p>2,282</p></td><td><p>2,172</p></td><td><p>2,240</p></td><td><p>1,991</p></td><td><p>1,998</p></td><td><p>1,921</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The Legal Aid Agency measures capacity according to the type of scheme in question. For criminal legal aid, all Criminal Justice System Areas over England and Wales have firms of solicitors operating under a criminal legal aid contract, in addition to approximately 250 Duty Solicitor schemes providing advice and representation in Police Stations and Magistrates courts. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) monitors capacity across criminal legal aid contracts on an ongoing basis. Where issues are identified, the LAA takes action to ensure there is ongoing availability of criminal legal advice for the public.</p><p> </p><p>For civil legal aid, there is at least one firm operating in each ‘Procurement Area’ providing services in every category of law, save for the ‘Housing and Debt’ category. Of the 134 Procurement Areas for this category, 4 do not currently have a provider holding a Housing and Debt contract, representing over 97% coverage across England and Wales. The Legal Aid Agency has since undertaken a further tender to secure provision in the remaining areas. In addition to the Civil Legal Advice Telephone Service, offering legal services in a range of issues to those who need it, we are establishing a £5m innovation fund to help people access legal support wherever they are in England and Wales.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 239262 question first answered 04/04/2019 16:36:17 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	4425 label Biography information for Jo Stevens

1024721

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2018
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Aiding and Abetting
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of the law of joint enterprise and (b) implications for his policies of the Supreme Court decision in R v Jogee 2016.
	tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
	tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
	uin	202045
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/12/2018 answer text <p>The Government does not believe that any changes to the law on joint enterprise are currently needed but intend to keep the matter under review.</p><p> </p><p>The law on joint enterprise is not set out in statute but is a common law doctrine. The Supreme Court judgment in <em>R v Jogee</em> amended a specific narrow element of the law in this area and did not call for Parliament to legislate.</p><p> </p><p>It is for our independent courts to interpret the law, as laid down by the Supreme Court. The Crown Prosecution Service has amended its guidance on secondary liability for prosecutors in line with the <em>Jogee</em> judgment and that guidance, published in May this year, aims to provide a clear direction for prosecutors in this area of law.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 21/12/2018 14:28:52 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
	tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman