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917247

registered interest
date	05/06/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Administration of Justice
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps his Department is taking to improve access to justice.
tabling member constituency	Paisley and Renfrewshire North
tabling member printed	Gavin Newlands
uin	905595
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2018 answer text <p>The Government has a responsibility to make sure that those in the greatest hardship and at the times of greatest need, can secure access to justice. This is a responsibility that we take very seriously.</p><p><br>Last year, we spent £1.6 billion on legal aid – over a fifth of the Ministry of Justice’s budget.</p><p><br>As we all know, legal aid is just one part of the access to justice landscape. Our £1bn court modernisation programme has already started transforming how people experience the justice system.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 05/06/2018 16:55:35 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4420 label Biography information for Gavin Newlands

917248

registered interest
date	05/06/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Aid Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of rates of pay for criminal legal aid.
tabling member constituency	Wythenshawe and Sale East
tabling member printed	Mike Kane
uin	905598
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2018 answer text <p>Those who undertake criminal legal aid work play an important role in our justice system. It is right that those who represent people, often at their most vulnerable, are paid appropriately for the work that they do and we continue to liaise with the legal profession on this important issue.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 05/06/2018 17:00:47 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4316 label Biography information for Mike Kane

917323

registered interest
date	05/06/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Witnesses: Children
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 average waiting time for child witnesses for each Crown Court in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Stockport
tabling member printed	Ann Coffey
uin	149930
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2018 answer text <p>Our commitment to witnesses, in terms of time spent waiting at court, is clearly set out in The Witness Charter, namely that everyone involved in a case will seek to ensure that witnesses do not have to wait more than two hours at court before giving evidence. Where the circumstances of a case do not make this possible, witnesses are kept informed.</p><p> </p><p>To monitor how effective we are in this regard, and to inform ways in which to improve the witness experience, HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service (HMCTS) completes a biannual witness monitoring survey in every Crown Court. The survey takes place over a two-week period in June and November each year at Magistrates’ and Crown Courts. It records different witness types including civilian adult and child witnesses.</p><p> </p><p>A witness is treated as a child witness if under 18 years of age. Only the first 30 witnesses over the sample period are recorded at each site. Therefore, only a few children are captured by the survey and the average waiting time does not necessarily represent the average waiting time of all child witnesses.</p><p> </p><p>Average child witness waiting times at the Crown Court in the last three years is contained in the table below.</p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p><strong>Crown Court</strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>2015</strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>2016</strong></p></td><td colspan="2"><p><strong>2017</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Number of Witnesses</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Average waiting time (hrs:mins)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of Witnesses</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Average waiting time (hrs:mins)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Number of Witnesses</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Average waiting time</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>All England &amp; Wales Crown Courts</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>7,920</strong></p></td><td><p>01:59</p></td><td><p><strong>6,731</strong></p></td><td><p>02:04</p></td><td><p><strong>6,486</strong></p></td><td><p>02:02</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong><em>of which Children (under 18)</em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong>228</strong></p></td><td><p>01:53</p></td><td><p><strong>248</strong></p></td><td><p>01:38</p></td><td><p><strong>196</strong></p></td><td><p>01:55</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 13/06/2018 16:01:36 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	458 label Biography information for Ann Coffey

917351

registered interest
date	05/06/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Trials
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of Crown Court trials prosecuted in the name of the Crown were subject to a successful application to dismiss in each year between 2010 and 2017.
tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
tabling member printed	Nic Dakin
uin	150068
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2018 answer text <p>Information on the number and nature of acquittals made on the direction of the judge in trial cases in the Crown Court between 2010 and 2016 is set out below. Data on the proportion of cases is not available as acquittals data collected is based on defendants rather than cases.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Defendants acquitted in trial cases in the Crown Court after a not guilty plea1, by manner of acquittal, England and Wales, 2007 - 2016</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td rowspan="2"><p><strong>Year</strong></p></td><td colspan="5"><p><strong>Manner of acquittal</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Discharged by judge</p></td><td><p>Acquittal directed by judge</p></td><td><p>Other acquittal<sup>2</sup></p></td><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007</p></td><td><p>10,360</p></td><td><p>1,660</p></td><td><p>182</p></td><td><p>17,226</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008</p></td><td><p>10,245</p></td><td><p>1,497</p></td><td><p>200</p></td><td><p>16,786</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009</p></td><td><p>11,146</p></td><td><p>1,669</p></td><td><p>233</p></td><td><p>18,583</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>13,035</p></td><td><p>1,741</p></td><td><p>205</p></td><td><p>20,902</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>11,863</p></td><td><p>1,599</p></td><td><p>181</p></td><td><p>19,380</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>10,122</p></td><td><p>1,478</p></td><td><p>171</p></td><td><p>17,280</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>8,536</p></td><td><p>1,322</p></td><td><p>170</p></td><td><p>15,141</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>9,323</p></td><td><p>1,387</p></td><td><p>158</p></td><td><p>16,535</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>9,684</p></td><td><p>1,427</p></td><td><p>160</p></td><td><p>17,367</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>9,252</p></td><td><p>1,253</p></td><td><p>137</p></td><td><p>16,508</p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Notes:</p><p>1) Includes cases where defendants plead not guilty to all counts and also cases where defendants plead not guilty to some counts</p><p>2) Other acquittals include where no plea is recorded, autrefois acquit and autrefois convict</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 13/06/2018 15:59:10 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin

917352

registered interest
date	05/06/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Criminal Proceedings: Evidence
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 ensure that there is a consistent standard in video surveillance systems and readers so that all CCTV recordings can be accessible to the police, security services and during criminal trials.
tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
tabling member printed	Nic Dakin
uin	150069
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/07/2018 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice does not hold this information, it is a matter for the Home Office.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 17/07/2018 16:54:07 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin

917353

registered interest
date	05/06/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts: Interpreters
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what safeguards his Department has in place to ensure that contracted interpreters for courts and tribunals are appropriately qualified and competent in the use of (a) the foreign language they are translating into English, (b) the English language, (c) English law and (d) English and Welsh judiciary's legal terms; and what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of those safeguards.
tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
tabling member printed	Nic Dakin
uin	150070
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2018 answer text <p>The Ministry is committed to ensuring the justice system is supported by a suite of high quality language service contracts, that meet the needs of all those that require them.</p><p> </p><p>It has a clearly defined list of qualifications, skills, experience and vetting requirements interpreters must meet, set out in each of the contracts it has with its suppliers of language services, which have been designed to meet the needs of the justice system. All interpreters are also required to complete a justice system specific training course before they are permitted to join the ministry’s interpreter register.</p><p> </p><p>The ministry’s contractors are required to hold evidence of these credentials, which are subject to an additional safeguard in the form of an annual audit conducted by The Language Shop (part of the London Borough of Newham), the department’s supplier of independent language service quality assurance.</p><p> </p><p>The Language Shop undertakes additional processes to assure the quality of interpreting provided to the ministry, including the management of its register of interpreters, conducting a programme of assessments for interpreters, and conducting an annual audit of supplier processes for onboarding new linguists.</p><p> </p><p>The complaint rate is monitored closely as part of a robust contract governance processes. The rate remains low which suggests there is no systemic issue with the quality of interpreting provided.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 13/06/2018 16:00:34 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin

917658

registered interest
date	05/06/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Modern Slavery Act 2015: Prosecutions
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 people prosecuted under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
tabling member constituency	Dartford
tabling member printed	Gareth Johnson
uin	150020
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2018 answer text <p>The number of defendants prosecuted under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in England and Wales, from 2015 to 2017, can be found at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/707811/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2017.xlsx" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/707811/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2017.xlsx</a></p><p>Search ‘offence’ for ‘106 Modern Slavery’.</p><p> </p><p>Figures for 2018 are planned for publication in May 2019.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 12/06/2018 13:14:50 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	3970 label Biography information for Gareth Johnson

917103

registered interest
date	04/06/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Personal Independence Payment: Appeals
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 14 May 2018 to Question 142352 on Personal Independence Payment, for what reasons that information is not held centrally.
tabling member constituency	Wallasey
tabling member printed	Ms Angela Eagle
uin	149616
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2018 answer text <p>There is no report which accurately captures the average time taken from receipt to hearing.</p><p> </p><p>Data is available for the average time for an appeal to be cleared. However, the average time for an appeal to be cleared includes (amongst other things) those cleared both after an initial hearing and those cleared after an initial hearing was adjourned. It also includes those cleared without any hearing as cases can be disposed of on the papers, withdrawn by the appellant, or lapsed by the Department for Work and Pensions.</p><p> </p><p>There are no waiting times recorded for delivery of judgments as, wherever possible and in most cases, the tribunal gives its decision on the day of the hearing. However, there may be very few circumstances when that is not possible. The tribunal may, for example, need more time to consider the issues; or there maybe particular circumstances which cause the tribunal to consider providing a decision on the day inappropriate. In those cases, the decision will be sent out to the parties as soon as practicable after the hearing.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 07/06/2018 15:25:17 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	491 label Biography information for Dame Angela Eagle

917177

registered interest
date	04/06/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Personal Independence Payment: Appeals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will place in the Library a copies of the (a) guidance and (b) procedures his Department has issued to tackle long waiting times for personal independence payment appeal tribunal dates.
tabling member constituency	Vale of Clwyd
tabling member printed	Chris Ruane
uin	149621
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2018 answer text <p>I will place a copy of the general listing guidance, together with supplementary guidance issued in relation to case management “triage” sessions (introduced with the aim of reducing the time taken for appeals to reach final determination), in the Library. Listing is the responsibility of the independent Judiciary and the guidance is issued in support of this.</p><p> </p><p>Tackling long waiting times in response to increased volumes of appeals is achieved through additional capacity. In order to achieve this we have recruited extra fee paid judicial office holders: 250 Judges across the First-tier Tribunal, 125 disability qualified members and 230 medical members (subject to confirmation of appointment) and are developing a new digital system which enables speedier processing of appeals and a better service for all parties to the tribunal.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 07/06/2018 14:03:48 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	534 label Biography information for Chris Ruane

917201

registered interest
date	04/06/2018
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients: Appeals
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Proposal to amend the Tribunal Procedure (First-Tier Tribunal) (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber) Rules 2008, published on 22 March 2018 by the Tribunal Procedure Committee, what estimate his Department has made of the potential savings to the public purse of the recommendations in that document of (a) abolishing pre-hearing examinations and (b) giving First-Tier Mental Health Tribunals the power to take decisions without an oral hearing where a patient has been automatically referred to a Tribunal.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, Wavertree
tabling member printed	Luciana Berger
uin	149659
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/06/2018 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has made an initial estimate that there may be a potential saving of up to £5.8 million from removing the requirement for medical members to carry out a pre-hearing examination and enabling the Mental Health Tribunal to decide referral cases without an oral hearing. This figure would be reduced if legal aid costs rose because of appellants’ legal representatives commissioning Independent Medical Reports.</p><p> </p><p>In terms of the proposal to decide referral cases without an oral hearing, the appellant would still have the right to request an oral hearing and an oral hearing will be directed by the judge if they feel one is necessary.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 07/06/2018 15:25:02 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	4036 label Biography information for Luciana Berger