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1203079

registered interest
date	11/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government how many court hearings held remotely since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have (1) included the virtual presence of an interpreter, and (2) been rescheduled because an interpreter was needed but not available. [T]
tabling member printed	Baroness Coussins
uin	HL5587
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>Information on how many hearings held remotely since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic for spoken and non-spoken interpretation is provided below. The difference in start dates reflect the fact that thebigword’s system did not start recording any remote bookings until 30<sup>th</sup> March. We expect that very few took place before this date.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Dates</p></td><td><p>Number of telephone interpreting hearings</p></td><td><p>Number of video remote interpreting hearings</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>thebigword – spoken interpretation</p></td><td><p>30.3.2020 – 12.6.2020</p></td><td><p>2769</p></td><td><p>1470</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Clarion uk – Non- spoken interpretation</p></td><td><p>23.3.2020 – 12.6.2020</p></td><td><p>N/A</p></td><td><p>288</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The Ministry of Justice does not collect data on all hearings that have been rescheduled because an interpreter was unavailable. HMCTS performance data, including ineffective trial rates due to interpreter availability, is currently not available for this period.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 18/06/2020 15:10:10 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	3829 label Biography information for Baroness Coussins

1201040

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probate
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government how long on average it takes for an applicant to receive a grant of probate.
tabling member printed	Lord Soley
uin	HL5415
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2020 answer text <p>Probate timeliness data up to March 2020 are due for publication on 25th June 2020.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 22/06/2020 16:19:52 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	160 label Biography information for Lord Soley

1200706

registered interest
date	04/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Profession: Coronavirus
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government whether they will move to a grants-based system for funding legal services as recommended by the Low Commission report following the COVID-19 pandemic.
tabling member printed	Lord Clement-Jones
uin	HL5289
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>The government continues to recognise the importance of the legal support services and the essential role that they play in helping people resolve their legal problems.</p><p>Following our 2019 review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 reforms, the Ministry of Justice published the Legal Support Action Plan, which set out our vision for resolving legal problems earlier by ensuring that people can access the right legal support services at the right time, and in the right way for them. Whilst we do not intend to move to a fully grants based system for funding legal services, there are elements of the Legal Support Action Plan that drew on the recommendations of the Low Commission report.</p><p>COVID-19 interrupted significant elements of some of this work, as we reprioritised our focus on considering the impact of the pandemic on the legal support sector who support individuals in need of help.</p><p>As a result of this, the Ministry of Justice has secured emergency funding for the not-for-profit legal advice sector, including £5.4 million for providers of special legal advice. £3 million of this funding will go to Law Centres and this will be distributed through the Law Centres Network. The remainder of the funding, £2.4 million, will be contributed to the Community Justice Fund, administrated by the Access to Justice Foundation (ATJF), in order to provide funding for other non-specialist advice and support providers.</p><p>This funding will be additional to the £370 million of funding administrated by the National Lottery Communities Fund which qualifying third sector organisations, including those in the advice sector, will be able to bid for directly.</p><p>We have also continued existing work with the specialist advice sector and launched a new £3.1 million grant in partnership with the ATJF to enhance legal support for litigants in person over the next two years. This new grant is in addition to nearly £8m invested by the Ministry of Justice in support of litigants in person in the civil and family courts since 2015 through the Litigants in Person Support Strategy.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 18/06/2020 16:37:04 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	3396 label Biography information for Lord Clement-Jones

1200709

registered interest
date	04/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts and Tribunals
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government how many cases have been adjourned in (1) family courts, (2) civil courts, (3) magistrates courts, (4) crown courts, and (5) tribunals, in each of the last three months.
tabling member printed	Lord Falconer of Thoroton
uin	HL5292
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>Comprehensive figures for adjournments are not held for (1) family courts (2) civil courts (3) magistrates’ courts (4) crown courts and (5) most tribunals.</p><p>MoJ publishes figures on adjournments in the First Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), Social Security and Child Support, Criminal Injuries Compensation, Mental Health, and Special Educational Needs and Disability as part of National Statistics, and the figures relating to the period in the request are due for publication later in 2020.</p><p>On 11 June 2020, HMCTS published new management information on the gov.uk website to provide stakeholders and the public with information to understand the very latest high-level position on the impact on workload volumes and activity across HMCTS. <strong>Annex A</strong> shows the volumes of hearings listed and hearings adjourned due to COVID-19 in the civil jurisdiction only.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie grouped question UIN HL5293 question first answered 18/06/2020 14:58:39 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie attachment 1 file name Annex A - HMCTS Civil adj data Mar - May 2020.xlsx title Annex A
tabling member	2758 label Biography information for Lord Falconer of Thoroton

1200710

registered interest
date	04/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government how many of the 4,066 hearings in England and Wales as of 27 April were adjourned to be determined at a future date.
tabling member printed	Lord Falconer of Thoroton
uin	HL5293
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>Comprehensive figures for adjournments are not held for (1) family courts (2) civil courts (3) magistrates’ courts (4) crown courts and (5) most tribunals.</p><p>MoJ publishes figures on adjournments in the First Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), Social Security and Child Support, Criminal Injuries Compensation, Mental Health, and Special Educational Needs and Disability as part of National Statistics, and the figures relating to the period in the request are due for publication later in 2020.</p><p>On 11 June 2020, HMCTS published new management information on the gov.uk website to provide stakeholders and the public with information to understand the very latest high-level position on the impact on workload volumes and activity across HMCTS. <strong>Annex A</strong> shows the volumes of hearings listed and hearings adjourned due to COVID-19 in the civil jurisdiction only.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie grouped question UIN HL5292 question first answered 18/06/2020 14:58:39 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie attachment 1 file name Annex A - HMCTS Civil adj data Mar - May 2020.xlsx title Annex A
tabling member	2758 label Biography information for Lord Falconer of Thoroton

1200752

registered interest
date	04/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Video Conferencing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government when they intend to make the provision of secure video calls in prisons subject to a competitive procurement following the current pilot.
tabling member printed	Lord Garnier
uin	HL5294
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2020 answer text <p>We have introduced a temporary emergency video calling solution in recognition of the importance of maintaining family contact while social visits have been temporarily suspended in prisons in England and Wales. We have committed to the fact that there will be no cost of video calls to either families or those in custody during this time. At the appropriate time, we will consider future options for video calling across the estate beyond Covid-19 restrictions, which may include a competition for such services.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie grouped question UIN HL5295 question first answered 16/06/2020 16:45:17 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	337 label Biography information for Lord Garnier

1200753

registered interest
date	04/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisons: Video Conferencing
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to require prisoners or their families to pay for secure video calls; and if so, (1) from when, and (2) what the charge for a call will be.
tabling member printed	Lord Garnier
uin	HL5295
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2020 answer text <p>We have introduced a temporary emergency video calling solution in recognition of the importance of maintaining family contact while social visits have been temporarily suspended in prisons in England and Wales. We have committed to the fact that there will be no cost of video calls to either families or those in custody during this time. At the appropriate time, we will consider future options for video calling across the estate beyond Covid-19 restrictions, which may include a competition for such services.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie grouped question UIN HL5294 question first answered 16/06/2020 16:45:17 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	337 label Biography information for Lord Garnier

1200308

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Barristers
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support barristers' chambers doing publicly funded work.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL5250
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>We recognise the vital public service provided by legal aid practitioners and the essential work barristers do in helping to ensure we maintain access to justice for those who need it.</p><p>We know that the Covid-19 outbreak has created a range of challenges for the legal aid profession. We are doing all we can to address these challenges and ensure that the justice system continues to operate effectively.</p><p>Key representative bodies have continued to engage with Ministers and senior officials throughout this challenging period, and officials have sought out the views of legal aid practitioners on the impact of the crisis on their businesses. This is not limited to criminal legal aid matters - we are also engaging with the profession on support for civil legal aid practitioners and third sector providers.</p><p>The Legal Aid Agency has taken steps designed to help support legal aid provision during this period including making money available in interim payments and halting debt collection.</p><p>For criminal practitioners we have provided greater access to hardship payments to allow practitioners to claim 1 month after they were first instructed instead of 6 months and to lower the threshold for work done on the case from £5,000 to £450.</p><p>In order to focus on the most pressing issues for practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic we agreed with provider representative bodies to temporarily pause our work on the Criminal Legal Aid Review in order to focus on short term sustainability issues. This led to us pausing the criminal legal aid review consultation on the accelerated areas which was due to close on the 27<sup>th</sup> March 2020.</p><p>The closing of the consultation and the Governments official published response is one of the first steps as we return our attention to the wider review which has a focus on long term sustainability of the criminal legal aid market.</p><p>Lastly, where possible we would also encourage practitioners to take up the available HM Treasury schemes; the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme (SEISS), Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) and Bounce Back Loan Scheme.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 18/06/2020 16:46:15 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1200364

registered interest
date	03/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Finance
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to using unspent funds from the legal aid budget for this financial year to fund law centres and other legal aid providers, based on what they would have received in any six month period, to ensure their viability.
tabling member printed	Lord Clement-Jones
uin	HL5169
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2020 answer text <p>Data on legal aid expenditure is released quarterly by the Legal Aid Agency, with the next release scheduled for September.</p><p>MoJ is continuing to work closely with the Legal Aid Agency and HMCTS to assess the impact of Covid-19 on legal aid provision, and we are working closely with the sector to identify whether further support is required.</p><p>We have already introduced measures to support the sector, such as paying for virtual hearings in the same way as in-person hearings, halting pursuit of outstanding debts, relaxing some evidence requirements, and encouraging legal practitioners to use existing avenues of financial help, such as the ability to apply for early payment for work already done on a case. We have already put in place measures to bring forward funding by expanding the scope and evidence requirements for payment for work in progress in Crown Court cases.</p><p>We have recently announced that we will be providing £5.4m in funding to not-for-profit providers of specialist legal advice, including Law Centres, which should go some way to helping them address immediate cashflow problems and ensure they remain able to provide support for the communities they serve.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 18/06/2020 16:37:22 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	3396 label Biography information for Lord Clement-Jones

1199204

registered interest
date	02/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Cemeteries: Greater London
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	Her Majesty's Government why they have not responded to the letter, dated 1 April, from Sam Johnson on behalf of the Board of Trustees of The Match Girls Union in relation to the proposed works at Manor Park Cemetery that might cause damage to the grave of Sarah Chapman.
tabling member printed	Lord Beecham
uin	HL4905
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2020 answer text <p>Ms Johnson submitted a query to the Ministry of Justice on 1<sup>st</sup> April 2020 to ask if the email address she had used to send a letter to the Secretary of State was correct. On the 7th April we confirmed that the email address she had was correct.</p><p>Unfortunately, we have no record of any email or letter from Ms Johnson to the Lord Chancellor having been received; and so, we have contacted her asking if she could resubmit her correspondence.</p> answering member printed Lord Keen of Elie question first answered 16/06/2020 16:40:21 answering member 4538 label Biography information for Lord Keen of Elie
tabling member	4181 label Biography information for Lord Beecham