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1140295

registered interest
date	18/07/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Universal Credit: Appeals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will introduce targets for the waiting time for a universal credit appeal case to be heard by a tribunal.
tabling member constituency	Coventry South
tabling member printed	Mr Jim Cunningham
uin	278908
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>We do not have targets for waiting times. The listing of appeals, including consideration of whether a hearing should be expedited, is a judicial function.</p><p> </p><p>Nevertheless, MoJ are working to reduce waiting times for appeals by increasing judicial resource. This includes recruiting up to 250 judges across the First-tier Tribunal, 125 disability qualified members and up to 230 medical members. Once this is completed we expect more cases to be listed, improving the throughput in the Tribunal.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 23/07/2019 16:17:04 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	308 label Biography information for Mr Jim Cunningham

1139855

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
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, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of uprating the financial thresholds for legal aid eligibility.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	278403
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>On 7 February 2019, the Government published its Legal Support Action Plan in which it announced a comprehensive review of the wider legal aid eligibility regime. The review will study the income and capital thresholds for legal aid entitlement and assess the effectiveness with which the means testing arrangements appropriately protect access to justice, particularly with respect to those who are vulnerable.</p><p> </p><p>The review is expected to conclude by Summer 2020 after which we will publish a full consultation paper setting out our future policy proposals in this area. We will seek to implement any final recommendations as soon as practicable following public consultation.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 22/07/2019 16:47:25 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1139895

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Magistrates
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Leadership Magistrates there were by (a) gender, (b) age, (c) ethnicity, (d) socio-economic background and (e) who have declared a disability in the latest period for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Leeds East
tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
uin	278554
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>Judicial leadership appointments are a matter for the judiciary.</p><p>There are eight leadership magistrates; one national leadership magistrate and seven regional leadership magistrates. Disclosure of gender, age, ethnicity, socio-economic background and disability is not possible due to the potential for individuals to be identifiable as a result of the small numbers.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 22/07/2019 16:22:52 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1139905

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
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, what total Government expenditure on legal aid has been since 1989 in (a) nominal and (b) real terms.
tabling member constituency	Leeds East
tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
uin	278557
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <table><tbody><tr><td><p>The tables below show total Government expenditure on legal aid between 2005-6 and 2018-19 in nominal and real terms The information requested is not available for the period prior to 2005-6 as each series is presented as far back in time as it can be produced on a basis that is comparable with the most recent figures. Beyond this, measures of overall expenditure may not be directly comparable because the way legal aid is administered and public money is managed and accounted for have changed. In February, the government published the Legal Support Action Plan which committed to a number of changes to legal aid, including improving the Exceptional Case Funding scheme, expanding the scope of legal aid to all special guardianship orders in private family law, and removing the means test for those with parental responsibility who wish to oppose adoption and placement orders. In addition, we are reviewing the legal aid means testing framework to ensure that those who need legal aid are able to access it into the future. The Ministry of Justice, aims to complete the review by Summer 2020. <strong>RDEL - nominal terms (£m)</strong> <table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial<br> Year</strong></p></td><td><p>Criminal legal aid</p></td><td><p>Civil <br> legal aid</p></td><td><p>Central Funds</p></td><td><p><strong>Total <br> legal aid</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2005-06</p></td><td><p>1,200</p></td><td><p>843</p></td><td><p>69</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,112 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006-07</p></td><td><p>1,190</p></td><td><p>777</p></td><td><p>53</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,020 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007-08</p></td><td><p>1,203</p></td><td><p>824</p></td><td><p>65</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,092 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008-09</p></td><td><p>1,172</p></td><td><p>903</p></td><td><p>73</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,148 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009-10</p></td><td><p>1,101</p></td><td><p>961</p></td><td><p>88</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,150 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>1,175</p></td><td><p>1,026</p></td><td><p>78</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,279 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>1,115</p></td><td><p>966</p></td><td><p>101</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,182 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>995</p></td><td><p>946</p></td><td><p>98</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,039 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>967</p></td><td><p>825</p></td><td><p>81</p></td><td><p><strong> 1,873 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>889</p></td><td><p>685</p></td><td><p>63</p></td><td><p><strong> 1,637 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>861</p></td><td><p>600</p></td><td><p>49</p></td><td><p><strong> 1,511 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>863</p></td><td><p>646</p></td><td><p>45</p></td><td><p><strong> 1,554 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>891</p></td><td><p>678</p></td><td><p>49</p></td><td><p><strong> 1,619 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018-19</p></td><td><p>879</p></td><td><p>731</p></td><td><p>48</p></td><td><p><strong> 1,657 </strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table><strong>RDEL - real terms (2018-19 prices) (£m)</strong><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial<br> Year</strong></p></td><td><p>Criminal legal aid</p></td><td><p>Civil <br> legal aid</p></td><td><p>Central <br> Funds</p></td><td><p><strong>Total <br> legal aid</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2005-06</p></td><td><p>1,534</p></td><td><p>1,077</p></td><td><p>88</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,699 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006-07</p></td><td><p>1,478</p></td><td><p>965</p></td><td><p>65</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,508 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007-08</p></td><td><p>1,458</p></td><td><p>998</p></td><td><p>79</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,535 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008-09</p></td><td><p>1,382</p></td><td><p>1,065</p></td><td><p>87</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,534 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009-10</p></td><td><p>1,280</p></td><td><p>1,117</p></td><td><p>103</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,500 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>1,342</p></td><td><p>1,171</p></td><td><p>89</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,602 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>1,257</p></td><td><p>1,088</p></td><td><p>113</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,458 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>1,100</p></td><td><p>1,045</p></td><td><p>108</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,252 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>1,048</p></td><td><p>895</p></td><td><p>88</p></td><td><p><strong> 2,031 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>952</p></td><td><p>734</p></td><td><p>67</p></td><td><p><strong> 1,753 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>915</p></td><td><p>638</p></td><td><p>52</p></td><td><p><strong> 1,605 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>897</p></td><td><p>671</p></td><td><p>47</p></td><td><p><strong> 1,614 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>908</p></td><td><p>691</p></td><td><p>50</p></td><td><p><strong> 1,649 </strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018-19</p></td><td><p>879</p></td><td><p>731</p></td><td><p>48</p></td><td><p><strong> 1,657 </strong></p></td></tr></tbody></table>Note: 2018 - 19 prices are based on the deflator series published by the ONS on 28 June 2019. RDEL (Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit) is current expenditure from within the annual Departmental Expenditure Limits that are set by the Treasury for each government department, and is used in the MoJ and LAA Annual Report &amp; Accounts. It aims to measure the value of all work carried out in each period, regardless of whether it is on cases that have finished. RDEL excludes AME (hence so do the budgeting measures shown in the table). AME (Annually-Managed Expenditure) broadly covers unpredictable or uncontrollable expenditure. In legal aid terms this is work in progress where the payment date is unknown. It can be negative for individual years. In 2013-14, responsibility for Central Funds spending transferred from the Ministry of Justice to the Legal Aid Agency. From October 2014 a new administrative system has enabled these statistics to be based on the general ledger prior to accounting adjustments, and therefore from 2015-16 they are no longer identical to the RDEL figures.</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 22/07/2019 16:34:52 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1139927

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offences against Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the review of the definition of positions of trust in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 will conclude in the summer.
tabling member constituency	Rotherham
tabling member printed	Sarah Champion
uin	278517
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>I recognise that there are concerns about those who might abuse their position of power over a 16 or 17-year-old to pressure them into engaging in a sexual relationship. Such behaviour is very likely to be caught by the robust laws we already have in place. Any sexual activity with a child under 16 is a criminal offence, regardless of whether consent is given. Any non-consensual sexual activity is also a crime, whatever the age of the victim and whatever the relationship between the victim and perpetrator.</p><p> </p><p>However, we remain absolutely committed to protecting children and young people from sexual abuse and we want to ensure that existing offences are being used effectively to tackle this behaviour, and that those working with young people understand their responsibilities and act appropriately.</p><p> </p><p>My department, working closely with colleagues across government, is taking forward a review of the existing law, to check that that it is working effectively and ensuring young people are protected.</p><p> </p><p>I shall consider the findings of that review carefully.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard grouped question UIN 278518 question first answered 22/07/2019 16:47:53 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4267 label Biography information for Sarah Champion

1139928

registered interest
date	17/07/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Offences against Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether positions of trust as defined in the Sexual Offences Act 2003 will be extended to cover all adults with power and authority over young people as defined in the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006.
tabling member constituency	Rotherham
tabling member printed	Sarah Champion
uin	278518
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>I recognise that there are concerns about those who might abuse their position of power over a 16 or 17-year-old to pressure them into engaging in a sexual relationship. Such behaviour is very likely to be caught by the robust laws we already have in place. Any sexual activity with a child under 16 is a criminal offence, regardless of whether consent is given. Any non-consensual sexual activity is also a crime, whatever the age of the victim and whatever the relationship between the victim and perpetrator.</p><p> </p><p>However, we remain absolutely committed to protecting children and young people from sexual abuse and we want to ensure that existing offences are being used effectively to tackle this behaviour, and that those working with young people understand their responsibilities and act appropriately.</p><p> </p><p>My department, working closely with colleagues across government, is taking forward a review of the existing law, to check that that it is working effectively and ensuring young people are protected.</p><p> </p><p>I shall consider the findings of that review carefully.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard grouped question UIN 278517 question first answered 22/07/2019 16:47:54 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4267 label Biography information for Sarah Champion

1138972

registered interest
date	15/07/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts: Sales
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the of Answer 9 July 2019 to Question 273431 on Courts: Sales, which organisation was responsible for providing each of the valuations.
tabling member constituency	Leeds East
tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
uin	277221
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>The table below provides a list of the organisations who provided HM Courts and Tribunals Service with valuations for courts listed in the answer to Question 273431.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Court </strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Valuation provider</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Abergavenny Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bow County Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Brecon Law Court</p></td><td><p>GVA</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Bridgend Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Caerphilly Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Carmarthen Law Courts (The Guildhall)</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Dolgellau Mags &amp; Crown Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Feltham Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Grantham Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Greenwich Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Hammersmith Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Holyhead Magistrates’ Court (North Anglesey)</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Liverpool, Dale Street Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>GVA</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Llangefni County Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Neath And Port Talbot County Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Northallerton Magistrates' Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Pontypridd Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>GVA</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Rhyl County Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Richmond Upon Thames Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Solihull Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>GVA</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Tottenham (Enfield) Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Waltham Forest Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Watford Magistrates’ Court</p></td><td><p>JLL</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Woolwich County Court</p></td><td><p>Valuation Office Agency</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The closure of any court is not taken lightly – it only happens following full public consultation and when communities have reasonable access to alternative courts.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 23/07/2019 11:28:01 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1139032

registered interest
date	15/07/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	County Courts: Lambeth
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 8 July 2019 to Question 272804 on Court: Sales, if he will place a copy of the valuation report relating to Lambeth County Court in the Library.
tabling member constituency	Shipley
tabling member printed	Philip Davies
uin	277305
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/07/2019 answer text <p>Lambeth County Court was occupied by HM Courts and Tribunals Service on a leasehold basis. The figure provided in the Answer to Question 272804 showed the negotiated receipt for the early exit of the leasehold arrangement. The disposal value was market tested through an open market campaign, a site valuation report was not conducted.</p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 23/07/2019 11:26:08 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	1565 label Biography information for Sir Philip Davies

1138653

registered interest
date	12/07/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts: Recorders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Recorders sat in each court that was open on the 1 May 2019.
tabling member constituency	Leeds East
tabling member printed	Richard Burgon
uin	276573
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>We are unable to supply details of how many Recorders sat in each court that was open on 1 May 2019. This is because the latest published data on sitting days only runs to December 2018 and under the Code of Practice for Official Statistics we cannot provide any more recent data until that data (covering 2019) has been published. The data for 2019 will be published in June 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The latest published data is available here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-justice-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-justice-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2019</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 22/07/2019 16:38:55 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4493 label Biography information for Richard Burgon

1138659

registered interest
date	12/07/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Mediation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many mediators there are in England; and how many mediations by subject have taken place in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Hitchin and Harpenden
tabling member printed	Bim Afolami
uin	276592
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/07/2019 answer text <p>Whilst the department does not hold information on privately-funded mediation, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) holds data on family mediation cases in England and Wales that have started and are funded by Legal Aid. This can also be found in Table 7.2 of the Legal Aid statistics:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td colspan="3"><p>Family Mediation Starts</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>All Issues</p></td><td><p>Children Only</p></td><td><p>Property &amp; Finance</p></td><td><p>Grand Total</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>1,919</p></td><td><p>5,001</p></td><td><p>1,172</p></td><td><p>8,092</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>1,889</p></td><td><p>5,574</p></td><td><p>1,369</p></td><td><p>8,832</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>1,468</p></td><td><p>5,027</p></td><td><p>1,116</p></td><td><p>7,611</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>1,141</p></td><td><p>4,270</p></td><td><p>891</p></td><td><p>6,302</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018-19</p></td><td><p>1,166</p></td><td><p>4,493</p></td><td><p>856</p></td><td><p>6,515</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Further breakdown of cases and more information can be found in the published Legal Aid statistics: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-january-to-march-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-january-to-march-2019</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The Department does not hold data on the total number of family mediators. However, Legal Aid funded family mediation must have Family Mediation Council (FMC) accreditation. There are currently 1053 individual mediators accredited by the FMC in England and Wales. The complete list can be found on the FMC register at: <a href="https://www.familymediationcouncil.org.uk/fmc-full-register/" target="_blank">https://www.familymediationcouncil.org.uk/fmc-full-register/</a>.</p><p> </p><p>For civil cases, a list of individual mediators accredited by the Civil Mediation Council (CMC) can be found at: <a href="https://civilmediation.org/about/cmc-members-list/" target="_blank">https://civilmediation.org/about/cmc-members-list/</a>. The courts signpost users to mediators that are CMC accredited, but this may not reflect all mediators offering mediation sessions. The department does not hold data on privately-funded mediation for civil cases.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Blackpool North and Cleveleys answering member printed Paul Maynard question first answered 22/07/2019 16:40:42 answering member 3926 label Biography information for Paul Maynard
tabling member	4639 label Biography information for Bim Afolami