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1197972

registered interest
date	01/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Brian Healless
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the psychiatric reports presented before the jury in the trail of Brian Healless were used in the decision to transfer him to a mental hospital from prison.
tabling member constituency	West Lancashire
tabling member printed	Rosie Cooper
uin	51730
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/06/2020 answer text <p>I wrote to the Honourable Member on 1 June in which I set out, in detail, why Mr Healless was transferred from a prison to hospital and the operation of that transfer process, prior to receiving this question.</p><p>I can confirm that the psychiatric reports submitted to the Preston Crown Court during the course of Brian Healless’s trial for murder were not submitted as part of the required medical recommendations for his subsequent transfer from a prison to a hospital under Section 47 of the Mental Health Act 1983 (the 1983 Act).</p><p>The Secretary of State would not ordinarily accept the use of psychiatric reports submitted to a court during the course of a criminal trial for the purposes of determining whether the statutory criteria for the transfer of a prisoner to hospital are met. Such reports do address similar criteria regarding the presence of a mental disorder and a potential need for an offender to be treated in a hospital. However, the primary aim of such a report is to assist a court in determining the appropriate sentence for a mentally-disordered offender, not the necessity for transferring a serving prisoner to hospital under the 1983 Act.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer question first answered 04/06/2020 14:52:46 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	1538 label Biography information for Rosie Cooper

1197990

registered interest
date	01/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Social Security Benefits: 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 15 May to Question 43706 on Social Security Benefits: Appeals, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that (a) employment support allowance and (b) personal independence payment tribunals are accessible to individuals with hearing loss.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	52238
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2020 answer text <p>The decision as to how a hearing is conducted is a matter for the judge, who will determine how best to uphold the interests of justice. In considering the suitability of video/audio hearings to replace face to face hearings, judges will consider issues such as the nature of the matters at stake during the hearing. They will also consider any issues the use of video/audio technology may present for participants in the hearing, having regard to individuals’ needs including hearing impairment.</p><p>Audio and video hearings provide an additional channel for conducting a hearing and should be as accessible as possible but they may not be suitable for everyone. Individuals should advise the Tribunal if there are any circumstances about themselves or their case which may affect or impair their ability to participate effectively in an audio or video hearing. This will inform the judiciary’s decision.</p><p>HM Courts &amp; Tribunals Service (HMCTS) is very sensitive to the needs of people with a wide range of physical and mental disabilities. Tribunal staff and judicial office holders are trained accordingly, with HMCTS’ reasonable adjustments policy and practice applied where appropriate.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 09/06/2020 11:31:46 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1198009

registered interest
date	01/06/2020
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	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the backlog of court cases that has accumulated as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
tabling member printed	Matt Western
uin	52353
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2020 answer text <p>Our courts and tribunals provide a vital public service and it is important that justice is delivered in a timely fashion wherever possible despite the Covid-19 outbreak. Staff, identified as key workers during this pandemic, and the judiciary, working in partnership with everyone who supports the justice system has maintained both a core justice system focussed on the most vital cases, and the safety of all courts and tribunals users in line with public health advice and guidance.</p><p>Considerable effort has been made to ensure that as far as possible the justice system continues to function. We put in place temporary changes, designed in partnership with the judiciary, to prioritise cases; rapidly expand our capacity for remote audio and video hearings [numbers] while maintaining access to open justice; and condensed our services in to 159 open court/tribunal buildings, a further 111 staffed courts being used for audio and video hearings and suspended operations in 71 sites, utilising resource and cleaning materials in those sites to bolster open and staffed courts. Jury trials have restarted in seven Crown Court centres since 18 May, including the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey in London, Cardiff, Bristol, Manchester Minshull Street, Reading, Warwick and Winchester.</p><p>We have rolled out home working solutions to allow as many of our staff as possible who can, to work from home performing essential functions and thus reduce or eliminate unnecessary backlogs. As at 2 June 2020, we have distributed 5,588 laptops to our staff to facilitate this. We have also commenced rolling out a Windows Virtual Devices Solution to enable other staff to temporarily work securely at home using their own IT equipment.</p><p>Our focus is now on maximising our capacity to reduce the growth and volume of our outstanding work. We are working closely with the judiciary to increase the number of hearings by further expanding our capacity for remote audio and video hearings; and ensuring that we can reopen our estate for more face to face hearings as soon as it is safe to do so. These specific measures will be set out in due course. In the meantime, our listing priorities continue to be published on judiciary.uk and details those hearings that must still go ahead.</p><p>Our commitment to continuing to deliver justice depends on close engagement and working with justice system partners, and we are grateful to all involved for the way they have embraced new and planned reform solutions to keep the wheels of justice turning.</p> answering member constituency Croydon South answering member printed Chris Philp question first answered 09/06/2020 11:33:44 answering member 4503 label Biography information for Chris Philp
tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western

1198049

registered interest
date	01/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken with Birmingham City Council to ensure that local officials are included in discussions on the protocols, processes and monitoring of any resettlement of prisoners on early release as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Ladywood
tabling member printed	Shabana Mahmood
uin	51813
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2020 answer text <p>In response to the current unprecedented emergency, over recent weeks the Government has released on temporary licence a small number of risk-assessed prisoners who are already within two months of their release date as part of the national plan to protect the NHS and save lives.</p><p> </p><p>HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) works closely with a number of partners to check suitability for release. This includes working with policing colleagues to ensure local forces are notified of an offender’s proposed release and inviting them to provide any additional information regarding risk surrounding an individual’s release.</p><p> </p><p>In this instance, senior probation staff in Birmingham have confirmed they are engaging with local partners, including the local authority, West Midlands Combined Authority and the office of the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner.</p><p> </p><p>No offender will be released without housing and healthcare support in place to ensure the impact on local public services is minimised. HMPPS have set up seven Homelessness Prevention Taskforces, including in the Midlands, to coordinate the sourcing of accommodation for those offenders released early. We have also implemented a process for the voluntary sector to match offers of support services for released individuals.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 51814 question first answered 09/06/2020 15:42:57 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	3914 label Biography information for Shabana Mahmood

1198050

registered interest
date	01/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Prisoners' Release: Coronavirus
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 put in place to ensure adequacy of the provision of local public services in Birmingham as a result of the early release of prisoners during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Birmingham, Ladywood
tabling member printed	Shabana Mahmood
uin	51814
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2020 answer text <p>In response to the current unprecedented emergency, over recent weeks the Government has released on temporary licence a small number of risk-assessed prisoners who are already within two months of their release date as part of the national plan to protect the NHS and save lives.</p><p> </p><p>HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) works closely with a number of partners to check suitability for release. This includes working with policing colleagues to ensure local forces are notified of an offender’s proposed release and inviting them to provide any additional information regarding risk surrounding an individual’s release.</p><p> </p><p>In this instance, senior probation staff in Birmingham have confirmed they are engaging with local partners, including the local authority, West Midlands Combined Authority and the office of the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner.</p><p> </p><p>No offender will be released without housing and healthcare support in place to ensure the impact on local public services is minimised. HMPPS have set up seven Homelessness Prevention Taskforces, including in the Midlands, to coordinate the sourcing of accommodation for those offenders released early. We have also implemented a process for the voluntary sector to match offers of support services for released individuals.</p> answering member constituency South East Cambridgeshire answering member printed Lucy Frazer grouped question UIN 51813 question first answered 09/06/2020 15:42:58 answering member 4517 label Biography information for Lucy Frazer
tabling member	3914 label Biography information for Shabana Mahmood

1198079

registered interest
date	01/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Police Stations: Expenditure
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much was spent on free and independent police station advice across England and Wales in the most recent period for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
tabling member printed	Karl Turner
uin	51897
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2020 answer text <p>Expenditure on police station advice is published as part of Legal Aid Agency’s Quarterly Statistics. This data can be viewed by accessing Column ‘L’ of the table 2.2 at this link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2019</a></p><p> </p><p>The number of claims received by the Legal Aid agency for police station attendances is also published in the Legal Aid Agency’s Quarterly Statistics at table 2.1, please note that the number of claims for ‘attendances’ can be found at Column C. These are a specific subset of total claims for all types of police station advice which can be found at Column L of the same table</p><p> </p><p>This information is not held by the Ministry of Justice because the Legal Aid Agency does not record this type of information about Legal Aid Providers.</p><p> </p><p>Please note for the figures provided that some firms may have more than 1 office. There are currently 1,147 firms holding a criminal legal aid contract, and this equates to 1,697 offices. This data is correct at 3rd June 2020.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2009/10</p></td><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>2021/21 (at June 20)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>New Firms</p></td><td><p>12</p></td><td><p>165</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>87</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>115</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>New Offices</p></td><td><p>14</p></td><td><p>187</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>87</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>131</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Please note ‘New firms’ may be the result of mergers and acquisitions outside of the tender process. Firms may have withdrawn and then re-entered into new contract later. This data has been provided on yearly basis as the data is too granular to provide month on month changes - the year end position has been shown for active firms/offices. There were formal tenders in 2010 and 2017, hence the larger numbers. In 2015/16 after the competitive tender was set aside new firms that had been successful in their bid for an own client contract were allowed to deliver services. The data is correct at 3rd June 2020.</p><p> </p><p>As at 1 June 2020 we have 4455 duty solicitors listed on our database allocated slots for the current rota period. The LAA publishes the duty solicitor rotas here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/duty-solicitors-rotas-information-and-guidance#duty-solicitor-rotas-1st-april-2020-to-september-30-2020---first-publication" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/duty-solicitors-rotas-information-and-guidance#duty-solicitor-rotas-1st-april-2020-to-september-30-2020---first-publication</a></p><p> </p><p>There are 2063 reps which includes probationary and accredited on the current list and it is published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standard-crime-contract-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standard-crime-contract-2017</a></p><p> </p><p>We are aware that the Covid19 restrictions have had an impact on the volume of work conducted by Legal Aid providers. The LAA have been in contact with providers to assess the impact on their businesses. Many have reported taking advantage of the schemes made available by HMT and we continue to monitor the situation closely.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 51898 51899 51900 51901 51902 51903 51905 question first answered 09/06/2020 10:17:19 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner

1198080

registered interest
date	01/06/2020
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 many claims were submitted to the Legal Aid Agency for police station attendances in England and Wales in the most recent period for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
tabling member printed	Karl Turner
uin	51898
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2020 answer text <p>Expenditure on police station advice is published as part of Legal Aid Agency’s Quarterly Statistics. This data can be viewed by accessing Column ‘L’ of the table 2.2 at this link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2019</a></p><p> </p><p>The number of claims received by the Legal Aid agency for police station attendances is also published in the Legal Aid Agency’s Quarterly Statistics at table 2.1, please note that the number of claims for ‘attendances’ can be found at Column C. These are a specific subset of total claims for all types of police station advice which can be found at Column L of the same table</p><p> </p><p>This information is not held by the Ministry of Justice because the Legal Aid Agency does not record this type of information about Legal Aid Providers.</p><p> </p><p>Please note for the figures provided that some firms may have more than 1 office. There are currently 1,147 firms holding a criminal legal aid contract, and this equates to 1,697 offices. This data is correct at 3rd June 2020.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2009/10</p></td><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>2021/21 (at June 20)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>New Firms</p></td><td><p>12</p></td><td><p>165</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>87</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>115</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>New Offices</p></td><td><p>14</p></td><td><p>187</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>87</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>131</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Please note ‘New firms’ may be the result of mergers and acquisitions outside of the tender process. Firms may have withdrawn and then re-entered into new contract later. This data has been provided on yearly basis as the data is too granular to provide month on month changes - the year end position has been shown for active firms/offices. There were formal tenders in 2010 and 2017, hence the larger numbers. In 2015/16 after the competitive tender was set aside new firms that had been successful in their bid for an own client contract were allowed to deliver services. The data is correct at 3rd June 2020.</p><p> </p><p>As at 1 June 2020 we have 4455 duty solicitors listed on our database allocated slots for the current rota period. The LAA publishes the duty solicitor rotas here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/duty-solicitors-rotas-information-and-guidance#duty-solicitor-rotas-1st-april-2020-to-september-30-2020---first-publication" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/duty-solicitors-rotas-information-and-guidance#duty-solicitor-rotas-1st-april-2020-to-september-30-2020---first-publication</a></p><p> </p><p>There are 2063 reps which includes probationary and accredited on the current list and it is published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standard-crime-contract-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standard-crime-contract-2017</a></p><p> </p><p>We are aware that the Covid19 restrictions have had an impact on the volume of work conducted by Legal Aid providers. The LAA have been in contact with providers to assess the impact on their businesses. Many have reported taking advantage of the schemes made available by HMT and we continue to monitor the situation closely.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 51897 51899 51900 51901 51902 51903 51905 question first answered 09/06/2020 10:17:19 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner

1198082

registered interest
date	01/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Solicitors: Legal Aid Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many paralegals work for firms of solicitors with a criminal legal aid contract.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
tabling member printed	Karl Turner
uin	51899
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2020 answer text <p>Expenditure on police station advice is published as part of Legal Aid Agency’s Quarterly Statistics. This data can be viewed by accessing Column ‘L’ of the table 2.2 at this link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2019</a></p><p> </p><p>The number of claims received by the Legal Aid agency for police station attendances is also published in the Legal Aid Agency’s Quarterly Statistics at table 2.1, please note that the number of claims for ‘attendances’ can be found at Column C. These are a specific subset of total claims for all types of police station advice which can be found at Column L of the same table</p><p> </p><p>This information is not held by the Ministry of Justice because the Legal Aid Agency does not record this type of information about Legal Aid Providers.</p><p> </p><p>Please note for the figures provided that some firms may have more than 1 office. There are currently 1,147 firms holding a criminal legal aid contract, and this equates to 1,697 offices. This data is correct at 3rd June 2020.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2009/10</p></td><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>2021/21 (at June 20)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>New Firms</p></td><td><p>12</p></td><td><p>165</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>87</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>115</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>New Offices</p></td><td><p>14</p></td><td><p>187</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>87</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>131</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Please note ‘New firms’ may be the result of mergers and acquisitions outside of the tender process. Firms may have withdrawn and then re-entered into new contract later. This data has been provided on yearly basis as the data is too granular to provide month on month changes - the year end position has been shown for active firms/offices. There were formal tenders in 2010 and 2017, hence the larger numbers. In 2015/16 after the competitive tender was set aside new firms that had been successful in their bid for an own client contract were allowed to deliver services. The data is correct at 3rd June 2020.</p><p> </p><p>As at 1 June 2020 we have 4455 duty solicitors listed on our database allocated slots for the current rota period. The LAA publishes the duty solicitor rotas here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/duty-solicitors-rotas-information-and-guidance#duty-solicitor-rotas-1st-april-2020-to-september-30-2020---first-publication" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/duty-solicitors-rotas-information-and-guidance#duty-solicitor-rotas-1st-april-2020-to-september-30-2020---first-publication</a></p><p> </p><p>There are 2063 reps which includes probationary and accredited on the current list and it is published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standard-crime-contract-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standard-crime-contract-2017</a></p><p> </p><p>We are aware that the Covid19 restrictions have had an impact on the volume of work conducted by Legal Aid providers. The LAA have been in contact with providers to assess the impact on their businesses. Many have reported taking advantage of the schemes made available by HMT and we continue to monitor the situation closely.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 51897 51898 51900 51901 51902 51903 51905 question first answered 09/06/2020 10:17:19 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner

1198083

registered interest
date	01/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Solicitors: Legal Aid Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many firms of solicitors hold a criminal legal aid contract as at 1 June 2020.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
tabling member printed	Karl Turner
uin	51900
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2020 answer text <p>Expenditure on police station advice is published as part of Legal Aid Agency’s Quarterly Statistics. This data can be viewed by accessing Column ‘L’ of the table 2.2 at this link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2019</a></p><p> </p><p>The number of claims received by the Legal Aid agency for police station attendances is also published in the Legal Aid Agency’s Quarterly Statistics at table 2.1, please note that the number of claims for ‘attendances’ can be found at Column C. These are a specific subset of total claims for all types of police station advice which can be found at Column L of the same table</p><p> </p><p>This information is not held by the Ministry of Justice because the Legal Aid Agency does not record this type of information about Legal Aid Providers.</p><p> </p><p>Please note for the figures provided that some firms may have more than 1 office. There are currently 1,147 firms holding a criminal legal aid contract, and this equates to 1,697 offices. This data is correct at 3rd June 2020.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2009/10</p></td><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>2021/21 (at June 20)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>New Firms</p></td><td><p>12</p></td><td><p>165</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>87</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>115</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>New Offices</p></td><td><p>14</p></td><td><p>187</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>87</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>131</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Please note ‘New firms’ may be the result of mergers and acquisitions outside of the tender process. Firms may have withdrawn and then re-entered into new contract later. This data has been provided on yearly basis as the data is too granular to provide month on month changes - the year end position has been shown for active firms/offices. There were formal tenders in 2010 and 2017, hence the larger numbers. In 2015/16 after the competitive tender was set aside new firms that had been successful in their bid for an own client contract were allowed to deliver services. The data is correct at 3rd June 2020.</p><p> </p><p>As at 1 June 2020 we have 4455 duty solicitors listed on our database allocated slots for the current rota period. The LAA publishes the duty solicitor rotas here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/duty-solicitors-rotas-information-and-guidance#duty-solicitor-rotas-1st-april-2020-to-september-30-2020---first-publication" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/duty-solicitors-rotas-information-and-guidance#duty-solicitor-rotas-1st-april-2020-to-september-30-2020---first-publication</a></p><p> </p><p>There are 2063 reps which includes probationary and accredited on the current list and it is published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standard-crime-contract-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standard-crime-contract-2017</a></p><p> </p><p>We are aware that the Covid19 restrictions have had an impact on the volume of work conducted by Legal Aid providers. The LAA have been in contact with providers to assess the impact on their businesses. Many have reported taking advantage of the schemes made available by HMT and we continue to monitor the situation closely.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 51897 51898 51899 51901 51902 51903 51905 question first answered 09/06/2020 10:17:19 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner

1198084

registered interest
date	01/06/2020
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Legal Profession: Legal Aid Scheme
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many new law firms have obtained a criminal legal aid contract in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull East
tabling member printed	Karl Turner
uin	51901
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/06/2020 answer text <p>Expenditure on police station advice is published as part of Legal Aid Agency’s Quarterly Statistics. This data can be viewed by accessing Column ‘L’ of the table 2.2 at this link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2019" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2019</a></p><p> </p><p>The number of claims received by the Legal Aid agency for police station attendances is also published in the Legal Aid Agency’s Quarterly Statistics at table 2.1, please note that the number of claims for ‘attendances’ can be found at Column C. These are a specific subset of total claims for all types of police station advice which can be found at Column L of the same table</p><p> </p><p>This information is not held by the Ministry of Justice because the Legal Aid Agency does not record this type of information about Legal Aid Providers.</p><p> </p><p>Please note for the figures provided that some firms may have more than 1 office. There are currently 1,147 firms holding a criminal legal aid contract, and this equates to 1,697 offices. This data is correct at 3rd June 2020.</p><p> </p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2009/10</p></td><td><p>2010/11</p></td><td><p>2011/12</p></td><td><p>2012/13</p></td><td><p>2013/14</p></td><td><p>2014/15</p></td><td><p>2015/16</p></td><td><p>2016/17</p></td><td><p>2017/18</p></td><td><p>2018/19</p></td><td><p>2019/20</p></td><td><p>2021/21 (at June 20)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>New Firms</p></td><td><p>12</p></td><td><p>165</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>87</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>115</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>3</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>New Offices</p></td><td><p>14</p></td><td><p>187</p></td><td><p>1</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>8</p></td><td><p>87</p></td><td><p>5</p></td><td><p>131</p></td><td><p>6</p></td><td><p>4</p></td><td><p>0</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Please note ‘New firms’ may be the result of mergers and acquisitions outside of the tender process. Firms may have withdrawn and then re-entered into new contract later. This data has been provided on yearly basis as the data is too granular to provide month on month changes - the year end position has been shown for active firms/offices. There were formal tenders in 2010 and 2017, hence the larger numbers. In 2015/16 after the competitive tender was set aside new firms that had been successful in their bid for an own client contract were allowed to deliver services. The data is correct at 3rd June 2020.</p><p> </p><p>As at 1 June 2020 we have 4455 duty solicitors listed on our database allocated slots for the current rota period. The LAA publishes the duty solicitor rotas here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/duty-solicitors-rotas-information-and-guidance#duty-solicitor-rotas-1st-april-2020-to-september-30-2020---first-publication" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/duty-solicitors-rotas-information-and-guidance#duty-solicitor-rotas-1st-april-2020-to-september-30-2020---first-publication</a></p><p> </p><p>There are 2063 reps which includes probationary and accredited on the current list and it is published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standard-crime-contract-2017" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standard-crime-contract-2017</a></p><p> </p><p>We are aware that the Covid19 restrictions have had an impact on the volume of work conducted by Legal Aid providers. The LAA have been in contact with providers to assess the impact on their businesses. Many have reported taking advantage of the schemes made available by HMT and we continue to monitor the situation closely.</p> answering member constituency Cheltenham answering member printed Alex Chalk grouped question UIN 51897 51898 51899 51900 51902 51903 51905 question first answered 09/06/2020 10:17:19 answering member 4481 label Biography information for Alex Chalk
tabling member	4030 label Biography information for Karl Turner