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1201737

	registered interest
	date	09/06/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Asylum
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil legal aid claims for asylum appeal cases exceeded the escape fee from legal aid providers in (a) London and (b) England and Wales.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
	tabling member printed	Karl Turner
	uin	57186
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>FINANCIAL YEAR</p></td><td><p>LONDON ESCAPE CLAIMS</p></td><td><p>ALL ESCAPE CLAIMS</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>415</p></td><td><p>469</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>462</p></td><td><p>507</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018-19</p></td><td><p>528</p></td><td><p>600</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019-20*</p></td><td><p>347</p></td><td><p>404</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p><strong>*Please note: The figures for the year 2019-20 covers only the months April to December 2019.</strong></p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 15/06/2020 16:33:32 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner

1196023

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2020
	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, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of suspending claim frequency limits for civil legal aid practitioners.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
	tabling member printed	Karl Turner
	uin	47264
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2020 answer text <p>We have already taken steps to provide emergency support for work completed on paper-based certificates, with contingency measures temporarily in place for payments on account. These special payments on account will not be subject to payment at 75%, nor will they be restricted to two claims in 12 months. Further guidance on these arrangements can be found at <a href="https://ccmstraining.justice.gov.uk/training-resources/billing-contingency-measures" target="_blank">https://ccmstraining.justice.gov.uk/training-resources/billing-contingency-measures</a>.</p><p> </p><p>For non-paper-based certificates, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) are reviewing the two claims limit as a matter of urgency.</p><p> </p><p>The LAA is working to ensure it can continue to support the legal aid sector, helping them maintain access to justice for their clients at this time. The LAA has published guidance on the support available to the legal sector including claiming a payment on account, to provide financial assistance for costs incurred by practitioners over the course of a legal aid certificate. This guidance can be viewed at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/financial-relief-for-legal-aid-practitioners" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/financial-relief-for-legal-aid-practitioners</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Timescales for the payments of civil bills are published at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/civil-processing-dates, and claims are currently being considered within three working days of being received.</p><p> </p><p>The MoJ and LAA continue to review the impact of covid-19 on legal aid practitioners, and ensure that the most vulnerable in society are provided with the representation they need.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 26/05/2020 15:11:17 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner

1195668

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Domestic Abuse
	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 adequacy of legal aid provision for victims of domestic abuse during the covid-19 lockdown.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
	tabling member printed	Karl Turner
	uin	46627
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2020 answer text <p>Victims of domestic abuse must have access to the help they need - including legal aid, which is subject to a means and merits test. We are working closely with practitioners to understand the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on victims and this week the Government announced funding of £800,000 for a helpline and email service to assist unrepresented victims applying for an emergency protective order from the courts.</p><p> </p><p>The Legal Aid Agency is exercising flexibility with regard to the evidential requirements in relation to the means test to mitigate the effects caused by lockdown measures. This includes suspending the time limits by which applicants are expected to submit the substantive legal aid application with supporting means evidence (such as bank statements) and allowing practitioners to submit applications with electronic signatures from the client.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that victims of domestic abuse may need legal aid quickly in emergency situations, so there is already an eligibility cap waiver in place, which means that an applicant for a protective injunction may be eligible for legal aid even if they have income or capital above the thresholds in the means test, though they may have to pay a financial contribution towards their legal costs. We are currently conducting a review of the means test, as part of which we are considering the experiences of particular groups of legal aid applicants – including victims of domestic abuse.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 46628 46630 question first answered 22/05/2020 14:08:38 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner

1195673

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Domestic Abuse
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she has taken to provide non means-tested legal aid for victims of domestic abuse during the covid-19 outbreak.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
	tabling member printed	Karl Turner
	uin	46628
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2020 answer text <p>Victims of domestic abuse must have access to the help they need - including legal aid, which is subject to a means and merits test. We are working closely with practitioners to understand the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on victims and this week the Government announced funding of £800,000 for a helpline and email service to assist unrepresented victims applying for an emergency protective order from the courts.</p><p> </p><p>The Legal Aid Agency is exercising flexibility with regard to the evidential requirements in relation to the means test to mitigate the effects caused by lockdown measures. This includes suspending the time limits by which applicants are expected to submit the substantive legal aid application with supporting means evidence (such as bank statements) and allowing practitioners to submit applications with electronic signatures from the client.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that victims of domestic abuse may need legal aid quickly in emergency situations, so there is already an eligibility cap waiver in place, which means that an applicant for a protective injunction may be eligible for legal aid even if they have income or capital above the thresholds in the means test, though they may have to pay a financial contribution towards their legal costs. We are currently conducting a review of the means test, as part of which we are considering the experiences of particular groups of legal aid applicants – including victims of domestic abuse.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 46627 46630 question first answered 22/05/2020 14:08:38 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner

1195684

	registered interest
	date	13/05/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Domestic Abuse
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he had made of the effect of means testing for legal aid on victims of domestic abuse.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
	tabling member printed	Karl Turner
	uin	46630
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2020 answer text <p>Victims of domestic abuse must have access to the help they need - including legal aid, which is subject to a means and merits test. We are working closely with practitioners to understand the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on victims and this week the Government announced funding of £800,000 for a helpline and email service to assist unrepresented victims applying for an emergency protective order from the courts.</p><p> </p><p>The Legal Aid Agency is exercising flexibility with regard to the evidential requirements in relation to the means test to mitigate the effects caused by lockdown measures. This includes suspending the time limits by which applicants are expected to submit the substantive legal aid application with supporting means evidence (such as bank statements) and allowing practitioners to submit applications with electronic signatures from the client.</p><p> </p><p>We recognise that victims of domestic abuse may need legal aid quickly in emergency situations, so there is already an eligibility cap waiver in place, which means that an applicant for a protective injunction may be eligible for legal aid even if they have income or capital above the thresholds in the means test, though they may have to pay a financial contribution towards their legal costs. We are currently conducting a review of the means test, as part of which we are considering the experiences of particular groups of legal aid applicants – including victims of domestic abuse.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 46627 46628 question first answered 22/05/2020 14:08:38 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner

1216248

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2020
	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, how much the Legal Aid Agency has paid out (a) since 31 March 2020 and (b) for a comparable period of time in the last three years with regard to (i) closed cases and (ii) payments on account.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
	tabling member printed	Karl Turner
	uin	62405
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2020 answer text <p>The most recent statistics published for the Legal Aid Agency cover up to and including March 2020. Figures for quarters of the 2020/21 financial year are scheduled for future release, and as such payment data for part (a) of question 62405 cannot yet be provided. The figures for part (b) of the question are displayed below, matching the equivalent period of April, May and June inclusive for each financial year:</p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><p>Claims for Civil Representation – First Quarter Only</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Completed case expenditure (where costs met by LAA)</p></td><td><p>Payments on account (live cases)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 2017/18</p></td><td><p>£153,943,450.58</p></td><td><p>£53,508,814.89</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 2018/19</p></td><td><p>£149,331,830.09</p></td><td><p>£61,087,711.51</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 2019/20</p></td><td><p>£168,696,887.77</p></td><td><p>£68,007,236.47</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The figure of £100m referred to by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State was based upon estimates produced by the Ministry of Justice relating to unbilled work for completed cases. The breakdown of the estimates is as follows:</p><ul><li>Criminal Legal Aid in relation to representation in the Crown Court and Higher Courts</li></ul><p>- <strong>£130m</strong></p><ul><li>Civil Legal Aid in relation to representation in the civil and family courts</li></ul><p>- <strong>£80m</strong></p><p> </p><p>All of the above estimates of unbilled work pertain to the position as at 31<sup>st</sup> March 2020.</p><p>As at 31<sup>st</sup> March 2020, the estimate produced by the Ministry of Justice of the amounts available for legal aid providers to claim in relation to unbilled work on completed matters were –</p><ul><li>Criminal Legal Aid in relation to representation in the Crown Court and Higher Courts</li></ul><p>- <strong>£130m</strong></p><ul><li>Civil Legal Aid in relation to representation in the civil and family courts</li></ul><p>- <strong>£80m</strong></p><p> </p><p>As at 31<sup>st</sup> March 2020, the estimate produced by the Ministry of Justice of the amount available for legal aid providers to claim in relation to payment on account for civil matters pertaining to representation in the civil and family courts was <strong>£165m</strong>.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 62406 62407 question first answered 30/06/2020 15:56:54 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner

1216249

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2020
	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, with reference to the oral evidence of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State's evidence to the Justice Select Committee on 4 May 2020, Q131 HC299, what the unbilled amount of legal aid of over £100m is by legal area.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
	tabling member printed	Karl Turner
	uin	62406
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2020 answer text <p>The most recent statistics published for the Legal Aid Agency cover up to and including March 2020. Figures for quarters of the 2020/21 financial year are scheduled for future release, and as such payment data for part (a) of question 62405 cannot yet be provided. The figures for part (b) of the question are displayed below, matching the equivalent period of April, May and June inclusive for each financial year:</p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><p>Claims for Civil Representation – First Quarter Only</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Completed case expenditure (where costs met by LAA)</p></td><td><p>Payments on account (live cases)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 2017/18</p></td><td><p>£153,943,450.58</p></td><td><p>£53,508,814.89</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 2018/19</p></td><td><p>£149,331,830.09</p></td><td><p>£61,087,711.51</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 2019/20</p></td><td><p>£168,696,887.77</p></td><td><p>£68,007,236.47</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The figure of £100m referred to by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State was based upon estimates produced by the Ministry of Justice relating to unbilled work for completed cases. The breakdown of the estimates is as follows:</p><ul><li>Criminal Legal Aid in relation to representation in the Crown Court and Higher Courts</li></ul><p>- <strong>£130m</strong></p><ul><li>Civil Legal Aid in relation to representation in the civil and family courts</li></ul><p>- <strong>£80m</strong></p><p> </p><p>All of the above estimates of unbilled work pertain to the position as at 31<sup>st</sup> March 2020.</p><p>As at 31<sup>st</sup> March 2020, the estimate produced by the Ministry of Justice of the amounts available for legal aid providers to claim in relation to unbilled work on completed matters were –</p><ul><li>Criminal Legal Aid in relation to representation in the Crown Court and Higher Courts</li></ul><p>- <strong>£130m</strong></p><ul><li>Civil Legal Aid in relation to representation in the civil and family courts</li></ul><p>- <strong>£80m</strong></p><p> </p><p>As at 31<sup>st</sup> March 2020, the estimate produced by the Ministry of Justice of the amount available for legal aid providers to claim in relation to payment on account for civil matters pertaining to representation in the civil and family courts was <strong>£165m</strong>.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 62405 62407 question first answered 30/06/2020 15:56:54 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner

1216251

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2020
	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, what estimate he has made of the funds available to legal aid practitioners with regard to (a) unclaimed costs for completed matters and (b) payments on account.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
	tabling member printed	Karl Turner
	uin	62407
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/06/2020 answer text <p>The most recent statistics published for the Legal Aid Agency cover up to and including March 2020. Figures for quarters of the 2020/21 financial year are scheduled for future release, and as such payment data for part (a) of question 62405 cannot yet be provided. The figures for part (b) of the question are displayed below, matching the equivalent period of April, May and June inclusive for each financial year:</p><table><tbody><tr><td colspan="3"><p>Claims for Civil Representation – First Quarter Only</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Completed case expenditure (where costs met by LAA)</p></td><td><p>Payments on account (live cases)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 2017/18</p></td><td><p>£153,943,450.58</p></td><td><p>£53,508,814.89</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 2018/19</p></td><td><p>£149,331,830.09</p></td><td><p>£61,087,711.51</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Q1 2019/20</p></td><td><p>£168,696,887.77</p></td><td><p>£68,007,236.47</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The figure of £100m referred to by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State was based upon estimates produced by the Ministry of Justice relating to unbilled work for completed cases. The breakdown of the estimates is as follows:</p><ul><li>Criminal Legal Aid in relation to representation in the Crown Court and Higher Courts</li></ul><p>- <strong>£130m</strong></p><ul><li>Civil Legal Aid in relation to representation in the civil and family courts</li></ul><p>- <strong>£80m</strong></p><p> </p><p>All of the above estimates of unbilled work pertain to the position as at 31<sup>st</sup> March 2020.</p><p>As at 31<sup>st</sup> March 2020, the estimate produced by the Ministry of Justice of the amounts available for legal aid providers to claim in relation to unbilled work on completed matters were –</p><ul><li>Criminal Legal Aid in relation to representation in the Crown Court and Higher Courts</li></ul><p>- <strong>£130m</strong></p><ul><li>Civil Legal Aid in relation to representation in the civil and family courts</li></ul><p>- <strong>£80m</strong></p><p> </p><p>As at 31<sup>st</sup> March 2020, the estimate produced by the Ministry of Justice of the amount available for legal aid providers to claim in relation to payment on account for civil matters pertaining to representation in the civil and family courts was <strong>£165m</strong>.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 62405 62406 question first answered 30/06/2020 15:56:54 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner

1260303

	registered interest
	date	10/12/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Domestic Abuse
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of victims of domestic abuse who have been denied legal aid as a result of trapped capital in the form of property which cannot be sold or borrowed against.
	tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
	tabling member printed	Karl Turner
	uin	128135
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2020 answer text <p>The government is absolutely clear that victims of domestic abuse must have access to the help that they need, including access to legal aid. For victims of domestic abuse seeking a protective injunction, the upper income and capital thresholds are waived. This means that anyone can financially qualify for this type of legal aid, subject to potentially making a contribution to the costs of the case depending on their means. Applications for legal aid are assessed against statutory eligibility criteria, and any capital held is taken into account or disregarded to the extent the Regulations either require or permit.</p><p>In February 2019 we announced a review of the means test. The review is assessing the effectiveness with which the test protects access to justice, and we are specifically considering the experiences of victims of domestic abuse. 95% of applications for legal aid in the ‘Domestic Violence’ category of law were granted in the most recent completed financial year.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 15/12/2020 17:15:33 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner

1232976

	registered interest
	date	09/09/2020
	answering body	Ministry of Justice
	answering dept id	54
	answering dept short name	Justice
	answering dept sort name	Justice
	hansard heading	Human Trafficking and Slavery
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for the Justice, how many people were (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted of human trafficking and modern slavery offences as the principal offence; of those people how many were EEA or Swiss nationals excluding UK nationals; how many additional people flagged by the CPS as being investigated for human trafficking and modern slavery offences were (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted of other offences; and of those people how many were EEA or Swiss nationals excluding UK nationals in each calendar year from 2016 to 2019.
	tabling member constituency	Staffordshire Moorlands
	tabling member printed	Karen Bradley
	uin	87539
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/09/2020 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has published data on the number of people prosecuted and convicted in England and Wales up to the year ending December 2019 for the following human trafficking-related offences and offences under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, available at the link below:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888344/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2019.xlsx" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/888344/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2019.xlsx</a></p><p> </p><p>Filter ‘Offence’ by:</p><p> </p><ul><li>72 Human trafficking for sexual exploitation</li><li>78.1 Human trafficking for non-sexual exploitation</li><li>106 Modern Slavery</li></ul><p> </p><p>The resulting table will then display the those prosecuted and convicted for the above offences over the 2013-2019 period.</p><p> </p><p>However, it is not possible to identify the nationality of the defendants as this information is not held in the courts proceedings database.</p><p> </p><p>Moreover, CPS flagged data relating to individuals prosecuted for human trafficking or modern slavery does not identify the specific offences prosecuted or convicted.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk question first answered 14/09/2020 16:20:36 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
	tabling member	4110 label Biography information for Dame Karen Bradley