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855960

registered interest
date	06/03/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme: Prisoners
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 implications for the public purse of the judgment in the case of R (Howard League for Penal Reform and the Prisoners’ Advice Service) v the Lord Chancellor.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Gloria De Piero
uin	131126
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2018 answer text <p>In response to the Court of Appeal judgment, the Government decided to reinstate criminal legal aid funding to three discrete areas of prison law, namely: pre-tariff reviews where the Secretary of State seeks the advice of the Parole Board on whether life and Imprisoned for Public Protection prisoners may be transferred to open conditions; Category A Reviews; and referrals to close supervision centres. At the same time, the Government also decided to bring referrals to separation centres within scope of criminal legal aid. The regulations giving effect to these changes came into force on 21 February 2018.</p><p> </p><p>The impact assessment published alongside the regulations confirmed that this policy change would result in increased expenditure from the Criminal Legal Aid Fund estimated to be in the region of £1.1 million per year (http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/1319/impacts).</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 15/03/2018 10:00:04 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer previous answer version 47365 answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	3915 label Biography information for Gloria De Piero

855961

registered interest
date	06/03/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Rape: Trials
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of prosecutions of rape which collapse due to a failure to disclose evidence; and what support his Department provides to the alleged victims in such cases.
tabling member constituency	Ashfield
tabling member printed	Gloria De Piero
uin	131127
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/03/2018 answer text <p>This is an issue that the Government takes extremely seriously. The Attorney General is leading a wide-ranging review of disclosure procedures that aims to report in the summer.</p><p> </p><p>On 26 January the Crown Prosecution Service and National Police Chiefs’ Council published their joint National Disclosure Improvement Plan. The police and Crown Prosecution Service have reviewed all live rape and serious sexual offence cases, to provide assurance that disclosure is being handled appropriately.</p><p> </p><p>My Department is providing £12.5m in funding for services for victims and survivors of sexual violence. This includes £7.2m of funding for rape support services. Where proceedings are discontinued or no evidence offered, the Code of Practice for Victims of Crime requires the CPS to explain to complainants why this has happened. The CPS must also inform complainants of how they can seek a review under the Victims’ Right to Review Scheme.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 15/03/2018 10:00:57 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer previous answer version 47363 answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	3915 label Biography information for Gloria De Piero

855506

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Representation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to allocate funding from the public purse for legal representation in the Court of Appeal to families who have been refused legal aid.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Yardley
tabling member printed	Jess Phillips
uin	130813
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2018 answer text <p>Legal aid continues to be available for the highest priority cases—for example, when an individual’s life or liberty is at stake, when someone faces the loss of their home, in domestic violence cases, or when children may be taken into care – subject to an applicant passing the test of means and merits. This includes all eligible cases that are taken to the Court of Appeal.</p><p> </p><p>All individual case funding decisions are taken by the Legal Aid Agency. Ministers are prevented by law from intervening in this process. It is important that these decisions are, and are seen to be, free from political and Government influence.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 08/03/2018 15:46:44 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4370 label Biography information for Jess Phillips

855518

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Representation
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 costs to the public purse arising from changes in the number of litigants in person in the last two years.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham West and Penge
tabling member printed	Ellie Reeves
uin	130825
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2018 answer text <p>As the Government announced in October 2017, we are undertaking a review of the legal aid changes made as a result of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. The review is expected to conclude by summer recess 2018.</p><p> </p><p>Unrepresented parties have always been a feature of the civil and family justice system. Since 2015, the Government has invested £5 million of funding to support litigants in person through a range of measures designed to provide additional information, support and guidance.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 130766 question first answered 12/03/2018 17:40:21 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4620 label Biography information for Ellie Reeves

855631

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans for the review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 to include an examination of the effect of that Act on non-asylum immigration cases involving unaccompanied and separated children.
tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton South West
tabling member printed	Eleanor Smith
uin	130938
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2018 answer text <p>The Government is committed to the protection of vulnerable children, especially in cases where children lack adequate parental support.</p><p> </p><p>The Lord Chancellor has confirmed the start of the review into Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. The review will include an assessment of the changes to the scope of legal aid for immigration cases.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 12/03/2018 15:34:14 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4609 label Biography information for Eleanor Smith

855638

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Civil Proceedings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of vexatious court applications taken out by people convicted of (a) stalking and (b) domestic abuse in respect of their victims in the (i) Family and (b) Civil courts.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	130945
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2018 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice does not hold the requested data.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 12/03/2018 15:34:30 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

855639

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Civil Proceedings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether judges have the power to strike out an application in the family or civil court if that application is deemed to be vexatious.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	130946
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2018 answer text <p>It is unacceptable for someone to use court processes to harass or abuse a former partner. Judges in the family and civil courts have wide powers to manage such situations, including, depending on the circumstances, the power to strike out an action they view as an abuse of process and the power to prevent a person from making further applications without prior permission of the court.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 12/03/2018 15:35:04 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

855640

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Civil Proceedings
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to prevent convicted stalkers or domestic abusers from cross-examining their victims in family courts and civil courts.
tabling member constituency	Dwyfor Meirionnydd
tabling member printed	Liz Saville Roberts
uin	130947
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2018 answer text <p>We remain committed to addressing the issue of abusers directly cross-examining their victims in family proceedings. We want to legislate to give family courts the power to stop this as soon as possible and are considering how best to proceed.</p><p> </p><p>We would want to learn lessons from the application of such provisions in family proceedings before we consider extending them to civil proceedings.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 12/03/2018 15:35:34 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4521 label Biography information for Liz Saville Roberts

855661

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Family Proceedings: 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 cost to the public purse of reinstating legal aid for early advice in family law cases.
tabling member constituency	East Ham
tabling member printed	Stephen Timms
uin	130968
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/03/2018 answer text <p>Legal aid for private family law cases in England and Wales was mainly removed from scope by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). However, legal aid is still available for some private family cases including mediation and for victims, and those at risk, of domestic abuse.</p><p> </p><p>The Lord Chancellor has confirmed that we shall conduct an evidence-based review of Part 1 of LASPO, assessing the changes against their objectives. This review will include changes made to provision of legal aid for private family law cases.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 08/03/2018 15:48:07 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	163 label Biography information for Sir Stephen Timms

855759

registered interest
date	05/03/2018
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 estimate his Department has made of the number of child custody cases heard in court (a) prior to and (b) since the removal of legal aid for early advice per year.
tabling member constituency	Ipswich
tabling member printed	Sandy Martin
uin	131064
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2018 answer text <p>The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) came into force in April 2013.</p><p> </p><p>A new form of child arrangements order was introduced on 22 April 2014 to replace the former separate contact and residence orders (formerly known as “access” and “custody” respectively).</p><p> </p><p>The number of applications made for a residence order, or a child arrangements order making provision for a child’s residence in England Wales, since 2011 is shown in the table below.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Number of private law applications for a residence order or child arrangements order making provision for a child’s residence in England and Wales since 2011</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Year </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of applications </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2011</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>23, 187</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2012</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>23, 838</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2013</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>23, 568</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2014</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>17, 820</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2015</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>15, 766</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>2016</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>17, 552</strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 12/03/2018 15:33:40 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4678 label Biography information for Sandy Martin