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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

917249

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	Reoffenders
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of offenders participating in work in the community on reducing rates of reoffending.
tabling member constituency	Rugby
tabling member printed	Mark Pawsey
uin	905599
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/06/2018 answer text <p>Offenders leaving prison who find a job in the community are between 6 and 9 percentage points less likely to reoffend than those who do not.</p><p><br>Furthermore, community orders have a more positive impact on reoffending than short custodial sentences (3 percentage points lower over a one year follow-up period) and orders which include an unpaid work requirement are in line with this general trend.</p><p><br>All of the above findings were taken into account when created our employment and education strategy which was launched on 24 May. This strategy aims to ensure that as many offenders as possible get the chance to partake in work both in prison and in the community.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 05/06/2018 16:54:49 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	4052 label Biography information for Mark Pawsey

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

917346

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	Prisoners on Remand
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of being remanded in prison on people that are subsequently found not guilty in court and acquitted of the charge.
tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
tabling member printed	Nic Dakin
uin	150063
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2018 answer text <p>Decisions about whether to grant bail or remand in custody and decisions regarding a finding of guilt or innocence are solely matters for the courts acting in accordance with the law, and are separate considerations to whether guilt is proved or not, under different legal provisions. It is therefore possible for a court to make an entirely appropriate decision to remand in custody and for that person to be subsequently found not guilty and acquitted. There has been no assessment of the effect of being remanded in prison on people who are subsequently found not guilty and acquitted.</p><p> </p><p>From published figures it is not possible to determine if a defendant was remanded in custody in advance of trial. The figures include defendants remanded in custody at any stage of court proceedings and at some point before the court outcome is provided. The number of defendants remanded in custody in England and Wales prior to an outcome of acquittal, from 2010 to 2017, can be viewed in the attached table.</p><p>The mean and the median length of time for defendants on remand cannot be determined as this information is not held on the Courts Proceedings Database.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 150064 question first answered 13/06/2018 15:03:18 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin

917347

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	Prisoners on Remand
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people on remand in prison in advance of a trial were acquitted in each year between 2010 and 2017; and what was the (a) mean and (b) median length of time on remand was in each of those years.
tabling member constituency	Scunthorpe
tabling member printed	Nic Dakin
uin	150064
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2018 answer text <p>Decisions about whether to grant bail or remand in custody and decisions regarding a finding of guilt or innocence are solely matters for the courts acting in accordance with the law, and are separate considerations to whether guilt is proved or not, under different legal provisions. It is therefore possible for a court to make an entirely appropriate decision to remand in custody and for that person to be subsequently found not guilty and acquitted. There has been no assessment of the effect of being remanded in prison on people who are subsequently found not guilty and acquitted.</p><p> </p><p>From published figures it is not possible to determine if a defendant was remanded in custody in advance of trial. The figures include defendants remanded in custody at any stage of court proceedings and at some point before the court outcome is provided. The number of defendants remanded in custody in England and Wales prior to an outcome of acquittal, from 2010 to 2017, can be viewed in the attached table.</p><p>The mean and the median length of time for defendants on remand cannot be determined as this information is not held on the Courts Proceedings Database.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 150063 question first answered 13/06/2018 15:03:18 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	4056 label Biography information for Nic Dakin

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

917358

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	Young Offenders: Ethnic Groups
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what comparative assessment he has made of the number of young offenders of (a) BAME and (b) other ethnic groups who have been detained in youth custody in the last 8 years.
tabling member constituency	Lancaster and Fleetwood
tabling member printed	Cat Smith
uin	150175
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2018 answer text <p>Nobody should face discrimination in the criminal justice system, or anywhere else. We have accepted the recommendations of the Lammy Review into the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the criminal justice system and are committed to driving out discrimination wherever it exists.</p><p> </p><p>Supplementary table 7.18 to the <em>Youth Justice Annual Statistics</em> contains comparative information on the average monthly youth custody population by region and ethnicity for those in custody during each year from 2012 to 2017. It relates to young people under 18:</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/676069/youth_justice_statistics_2016_to_2017_supplementary_tables.zip" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/676069/youth_justice_statistics_2016_to_2017_supplementary_tables.zip</a></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The Youth Custody Service has developed an Equality Plan which outlines a set of strategic objectives that are consistent with the aims of the Lammy Review to target disproportionality in youth custody. We will be commencing delivery of those objectives in due course.</p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 13/06/2018 14:57:08 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
tabling member	4436 label Biography information for Cat Smith