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1143365

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Children: Custody
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps he is taking to ensure the gender of a parent is not considered as a factor in custody cases.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	284885
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The legislative framework which governs family law proceedings about a child’s upbringing is gender neutral and focused on the welfare of the child involved.</p><p>The court is legally required to presume that the involvement of a parent in the life of the child will further that child’s welfare, unless there is evidence to the contrary. The nature of any parental involvement will be determined by the court based on all the available evidence.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 09/09/2019 15:15:27 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1143368

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Children: Custody
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is taking steps to ensure that grandparents are ensured access to their grandchildren in custody cases.
	tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
	tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
	uin	284831
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Grandparents who are experiencing difficulties in spending time with their grandchildren following parental separation can seek the permission of the family court to apply for a child arrangements order. Experience suggests that grandparents would not usually experience any difficulty where their application is motivated by genuine concern for the welfare of the child.</p><p> </p><p>The law does not provide any absolute right for a grandparent, or indeed a parent, to be involved in a child’s life because it is the child’s welfare which is paramount in all court decisions about who a child lives with or spends time with. The court can, however, direct the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) to prepare a welfare report into the child’s circumstances, including the beneficial involvement in their life of significant adults such as grandparents.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 09/09/2019 15:39:35 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1142810

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Courts
	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 activate the working group established by the then Lord Chief Justice and then Lord Chancellor in January 2016 to implement the problem-solving court model in England and Wales.
	tabling member constituency	Swansea East
	tabling member printed	Carolyn Harris
	uin	284209
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The Problem-Solving Courts Working Group was asked to advise on the feasibility of pilot models and its planned work did not include an implementation stage. The group concluded the workstreams set out in its published terms of reference and has not been reconvened.</p><p> </p><p>There remain barriers to testing or applying the problem-solving courts’ approach in a meaningful way, including upfront resource implications and the need for primary legislation to implement some of the models being proposed, as well as gaps in evidence. However, we are testing and applying “problem-solving approaches”, for example in the testbed sites for on the community sentence treatment requirement protocol and through our support for models applied in Family Drug and Alcohol Courts.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton grouped question UIN 284931 question first answered 09/09/2019 16:27:14 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	4480 label Biography information for Carolyn Harris

1143415

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Courts
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the working group established by the then Lord Chief Justice and then Lord Chancellor in January 2016 on problem solving courts has been stood down and its membership retired.
	tabling member constituency	Swansea East
	tabling member printed	Carolyn Harris
	uin	284931
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The Problem-Solving Courts Working Group was asked to advise on the feasibility of pilot models and its planned work did not include an implementation stage. The group concluded the workstreams set out in its published terms of reference and has not been reconvened.</p><p> </p><p>There remain barriers to testing or applying the problem-solving courts’ approach in a meaningful way, including upfront resource implications and the need for primary legislation to implement some of the models being proposed, as well as gaps in evidence. However, we are testing and applying “problem-solving approaches”, for example in the testbed sites for on the community sentence treatment requirement protocol and through our support for models applied in Family Drug and Alcohol Courts.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton grouped question UIN 284209 question first answered 09/09/2019 16:27:14 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	4480 label Biography information for Carolyn Harris

1143853

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Fixed Penalties: Young People
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect on young people given Fixed Penalty Notices for disorder in their later life.
	tabling member constituency	Hove
	tabling member printed	Peter Kyle
	uin	285390
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>We are committed to enabling children who have offended to move on from their previous behaviour to live rich and fulfilled lives.</p><p> </p><p>We have not made a specific assessment of the effect on young people given Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND). As of April 2013, PNDs were made unavailable for under 18s in order to focus on disposals that allow for rehabilitative activity to prevent further offending.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 09/09/2019 15:42:29 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	4505 label Biography information for Peter Kyle

1142310

	registered interest
	date	25/07/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the effect of (a) court closures and (b) the reduction of funding for legal aid on trends in the level of access to justice.
	tabling member constituency	Hyndburn
	tabling member printed	Graham P Jones
	uin	282305
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2019 answer text <p>The closure of a court is subject to public consultation and a decision to close is not taken lightly. In every case, the Lord Chancellor will only agree to close a court when satisfied that effective access to justice can be maintained.</p><p> </p><p>Every person should have access to legal advice when they need it – that’s why the Legal Aid Agency keeps availability under constant review and takes urgent action whenever it has concerns. There are enough solicitors and barristers for criminal legal aid-funded cases across England and Wales and the Civil Legal Advice Telephone Service, offers legal services in a range of issues to those who need it.</p><p> </p><p>We are investing £5m in innovative new technologies to help people access legal support wherever they are in England and Wales.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 05/09/2019 16:19:15 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	3999 label Biography information for Graham P Jones

1142822

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Terrorism
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what legal aid is available to the families of victims of terrorist attacks.
	tabling member constituency	Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath
	tabling member printed	Lesley Laird
	uin	284262
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>In England and Wales, legal aid can be provided if the matter or issue in question is within scope of the legal aid scheme, as defined in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO).</p><p> </p><p>Legal aid is available for advice and assistance for all inquests, subject to a means and merits test. Legal aid funding for legal representation for a family, during an inquest hearing, is not in scope of LASPO. However, families are supported by coroners who can ask questions on their behalf to help them get the answers they need and we are developing a range of measures to improve this service further.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises that for certain inquests, bereaved people may require representation; legal aid may therefore be available, through the Exceptional Case Funding scheme, if certain criteria are met:</p><p> </p><p>(a) if a failure to provide such representation would breach, or likely risk a breach of, the government’s obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights, usually Article 2; or</p><p>(b) where the Director of Legal Aid Casework (DLAC) makes a determination that there is a ‘wider public interest’ in legal representation being granted.</p><p> </p><p>All individual case funding decisions are taken by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA). It is important that these decisions are, and are seen to be, free from political and Government influence.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 09/09/2019 15:02:44 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	4660 label Biography information for Lesley Laird

1143226

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Terrorism
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of automatically providing legal aid funding for (a) coroner's inquests and (b) other legal proceedings for British citizens who are victims of terrorist attacks.
	tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
	tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
	uin	284500
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>Legal aid can be provided if the matter or issue in question is within scope of the legal aid scheme, as defined in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO).</p><p> </p><p>Legal aid is available for advice and assistance for all inquests, subject to a means and merits test. Legal aid funding for legal representation for a family, during an inquest hearing, is not in scope of LASPO. However, families are supported by coroners who can ask questions on their behalf to help them get the answers they need and we are developing a range of measures to improve this service further.</p><p> </p><p>The Government recognises that for certain inquests, bereaved people may require representation; legal aid may therefore be available, through the Exceptional Case Funding scheme, if certain criteria are met:</p><p> </p><p>(a) if a failure to provide such representation would breach, or likely risk a breach of, the government’s obligations under the European Convention of Human Rights; or</p><p>(b) where the Director of Legal Aid Casework (DLAC) makes a determination that there is a ‘wider public interest’ in legal representation being granted.</p><p> </p><p>All individual case funding decisions are taken by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA). It is important that these decisions are, and are seen to be, free from political and Government influence.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 09/09/2019 15:36:40 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq

1143233

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Marriage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much is allocated to be spent from the public purse on conducting the Law Commission's review of the law on how and where people can marry in England and Wales.
	tabling member constituency	Morley and Outwood
	tabling member printed	Andrea Jenkyns
	uin	284677
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2019 answer text <p>The cost of the project to review the law on weddings and provide recommendations for a simple, fair and consistent system which gives couples choice in to marry in a way that is meaningful to them will be approximately £400,000.</p><p> </p><p>This cost is for the resource for two years of a project team made up of one full-time lawyer, one full-time research assistant, a proportion of the time of a team manager and some travel, publication and translation costs (totalling approximately £150,000 per year) plus the cost of engaging a specialist academic (£50,000 per year).</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 05/09/2019 13:44:17 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	4490 label Biography information for Dame Andrea Jenkyns

1143267

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2019
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Marriage: Humanism
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to grant legal recognition for humanist marriages in England and Wales.
	tabling member constituency	Bristol North West
	tabling member printed	Darren Jones
	uin	284741
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2019 answer text <p>The Law Commission review that the Government announced this June is a fundamental review of the law on how and where people can legally marry in England and Wales. As part of that review, the Government invited the Law Commission to make recommendations about how marriage by humanist and other non-religious belief organisations could be incorporated into a revised or new scheme for all marriages that is simple, fair and consistent. The Government will consider the Law Commission’s recommendations.</p> answering member constituency Aldridge-Brownhills answering member printed Wendy Morton question first answered 09/09/2019 15:07:35 answering member 4358 label Biography information for Wendy Morton
	tabling member	4621 label Biography information for Darren Jones