{ "format" : "linked-data-api", "version" : "0.2", "result" : {"_about" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?answeringDeptId=54&answeringDeptSortName=Justice&max-answer.dateOfAnswer=2023-03-29", "definition" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/meta/answeredquestions.text?answeringDeptId=54&answeringDeptSortName=Justice&max-answer.dateOfAnswer=2023-03-29", "extendedMetadataVersion" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?answeringDeptId=54&answeringDeptSortName=Justice&_metadata=all&max-answer.dateOfAnswer=2023-03-29", "first" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?_page=0&answeringDeptId=54&answeringDeptSortName=Justice&max-answer.dateOfAnswer=2023-03-29", "hasPart" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?answeringDeptId=54&answeringDeptSortName=Justice&max-answer.dateOfAnswer=2023-03-29", "isPartOf" : "http://eldaddp.azurewebsites.net/answeredquestions.text?answeringDeptId=54&answeringDeptSortName=Justice&max-answer.dateOfAnswer=2023-03-29", "items" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1607120", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1607120/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Probation Service is responsible for producing Pre-Sentence Reports (PSRs) when they are requested by the Court. A PSR includes a sentencing recommendation based on an offender's individual circumstances and consideration of public protection concerns, alongside suitable rehabilitative and punitive requirements.<\/p>
A PSR can be delivered to Courts in a range of formats including the longer written Standard Delivery Report (SDR), and the Short Format Report (SFR) which can be delivered in written or oral format.<\/p>
The key principles for decisions on the format of report delivery to Court are:<\/p>
As a general rule all report types are suitable for use across the sentencing thresholds. Guidance is available for probation staff to assist them in determining when to request for a longer adjournment to facilitate an SDR report.<\/p>
The Probation Service is working on a range of initiatives to increase the number of cases in which the Courts receive written reports. These are:<\/p>
The value of the relevant contracts are:<\/p>
- Calor Gas, £307,000. Reference https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/134be1dc-a93f-4fc0-8159-c39aae7a3c2f?origin=SearchResults&p=1(opens in a new tab)<\/a>.<\/p> - Centre Circle Event Management Ltd, £45,000. Reference https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/notice/8ba63863-9e53-4f4d-8553-fcc32a38ea58?origin=SearchResults&p=1(opens in a new tab)<\/a>.<\/p> <\/p> Our arrangement with Hays is a call-off arrangement with no guaranteed level of commitment, Call Off Contract from Public Sector Resourcing (PSR) - Contracts Finder<\/a>.<\/p> As previously noted, all the arrears identified has been cleared and adjustments made to the administrative processes of each company.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4004", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mike Freer"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Finchley and Golders Green"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mike Freer"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-03-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-03-28T13:11:47.627Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2023-03-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Ministry of Justice: Minimum Wage"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 March 2023 to Question 156177 on Ministry of Justice: Minimum Wage, what the total value was of those companies' contracts.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4418", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Justin Madders"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Ellesmere Port and Neston"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Justin Madders"}
], "uin" : "172430"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1606716", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1606716/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The full spend data for calendar year 2022 is not yet available.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4004", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mike Freer"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Finchley and Golders Green"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mike Freer"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-03-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-03-28T13:18:07.367Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2023-03-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Ministry of Justice: Consultants"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on external recruitment consultants in 2022; and with which consultants the contracts were held.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4356", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Angela Rayner"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Ashton-under-Lyne"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Angela Rayner"}
], "uin" : "172422"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1606735", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1606735/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Scottish powers of attorney are already recognised and have effect as a matter of law in England and Wales. The Government is currently supporting the Powers of Attorney Bill, which facilitates modernisation of the process for making and registering lasting powers of attorney (LPA) in England and Wales. Modernising this service will require engagement with third party organisations. This provides an opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of recognising LPAs and equivalent documents from Scotland, including how these documents can be recognised, and the appropriate authority to contact if further confirmation is needed.<\/p> I recently wrote to Patrick Grady MP on this issue as it came up during the passage of the Power of Attorney Bill. A copy of this letter will be available to read in the House library shortly and contains further relevant information.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4004", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mike Freer"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Finchley and Golders Green"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mike Freer"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-03-29", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-03-29T16:30:30.29Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2023-03-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Powers of Attorney: Scotland"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that institutions and organisations in (a) England and (b) Wales are aware of the legal status of Scottish Powers of Attorney.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4413", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Kirsten Oswald"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "East Renfrewshire"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Kirsten Oswald"}
], "uin" : "172428"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1606767", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1606767/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Information on legal representation (including the number of Litigants in Person) is published in Family Courts Statistics Quarterly with further information on legal representation status of applicants and respondents by case type: Information on the number of disposals and average time to first definitive disposal, broken down by parties with legal representation and case type is routinely published by the Ministry of Justice and can be found via Family Court Statistics Quarterly: The Review of Civil Legal Aid will consider the civil legal aid system in its entirety; from how services are procured, how well the current system works for users and how civil legal aid impacts the wider justice system.<\/p> Whilst the Review is not looking specifically at addressing delays in the family courts, more widely we are maximising sitting days to work through the outstanding caseload. In the family court, we sat to our highest ever level in 2021 \u2013 just under 56,000 days in public law and just under 83,000 days in private law. This is 2% higher than our sitting day levels in 2020 for public law and 16% higher than our sitting days in 2020 for private law.<\/p> We have significantly increased funding to improve waiting times in the family courts. This includes increasing funding to the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) by £8.4 million this financial year to deal with more open active cases.<\/p> We are modernising our systems through the HMCTS Reform programme to improve efficiency by removing unnecessary forms and duplication.<\/p> We have made greater use of fee-paid and part-time judges by lifting the number of days that fee-paid judges can sit.<\/p> We have also made provisions to ensure that fee-paid judiciary from elsewhere in England and Wales can now hear suitable cases remotely, to increase the judicial resource available to hear cases from London and the South East and reduce delays in those regions.<\/p> Legal aid is available in certain family matters, such as public family law cases which fall under the Children Act 1989. These types of cases include proceedings relating to whether a child should be taken into care or who should have parental responsibility or contact.<\/p> In March 2022, we published a detailed consultation on legal aid means-testing arrangements. The consultation proposed a broad suite of changes to the civil and criminal legal aid means test, with the aim of ensuring access to justice.<\/p> The Department for Education is working with the Public Law Working Group sub-group on care proceedings reform to bring learning from Family Drug and Alcohol Courts and other problem-solving approaches into public law proceedings, to make proceedings less adversarial and improve parents\u2019 engagement in the process.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4004", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mike Freer"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Finchley and Golders Green"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mike Freer"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-03-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "172403"}
, {"_value" : "172404"}
, {"_value" : "172405"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-03-28T15:38:41.003Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2023-03-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Family Courts: Legal Aid Scheme"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has he made of the impact of civil legal aid cuts on the number and proportion of litigants in person in the family courts.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4122", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alex Cunningham"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stockton North"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Alex Cunningham"}
], "uin" : "172402"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1606768", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1606768/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Information on legal representation (including the number of Litigants in Person) is published in Family Courts Statistics Quarterly with further information on legal representation status of applicants and respondents by case type: Information on the number of disposals and average time to first definitive disposal, broken down by parties with legal representation and case type is routinely published by the Ministry of Justice and can be found via Family Court Statistics Quarterly: The Review of Civil Legal Aid will consider the civil legal aid system in its entirety; from how services are procured, how well the current system works for users and how civil legal aid impacts the wider justice system.<\/p> Whilst the Review is not looking specifically at addressing delays in the family courts, more widely we are maximising sitting days to work through the outstanding caseload. In the family court, we sat to our highest ever level in 2021 \u2013 just under 56,000 days in public law and just under 83,000 days in private law. This is 2% higher than our sitting day levels in 2020 for public law and 16% higher than our sitting days in 2020 for private law.<\/p> We have significantly increased funding to improve waiting times in the family courts. This includes increasing funding to the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) by £8.4 million this financial year to deal with more open active cases.<\/p> We are modernising our systems through the HMCTS Reform programme to improve efficiency by removing unnecessary forms and duplication.<\/p> We have made greater use of fee-paid and part-time judges by lifting the number of days that fee-paid judges can sit.<\/p> We have also made provisions to ensure that fee-paid judiciary from elsewhere in England and Wales can now hear suitable cases remotely, to increase the judicial resource available to hear cases from London and the South East and reduce delays in those regions.<\/p> Legal aid is available in certain family matters, such as public family law cases which fall under the Children Act 1989. These types of cases include proceedings relating to whether a child should be taken into care or who should have parental responsibility or contact.<\/p> In March 2022, we published a detailed consultation on legal aid means-testing arrangements. The consultation proposed a broad suite of changes to the civil and criminal legal aid means test, with the aim of ensuring access to justice.<\/p> The Department for Education is working with the Public Law Working Group sub-group on care proceedings reform to bring learning from Family Drug and Alcohol Courts and other problem-solving approaches into public law proceedings, to make proceedings less adversarial and improve parents\u2019 engagement in the process.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4004", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mike Freer"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Finchley and Golders Green"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mike Freer"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-03-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "172402"}
, {"_value" : "172404"}
, {"_value" : "172405"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-03-28T15:38:41.05Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2023-03-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Family Courts: Legal Representation"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of (a) trends in the level of legal representation in the family courts since the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 came into force and (b) trends on the timeliness of cases from commencement to disposal (c) the impact of lower levels of legal representation on the (i) timeliness of cases and (ii) court backlog.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4122", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alex Cunningham"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stockton North"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Alex Cunningham"}
], "uin" : "172403"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1606771", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1606771/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Information on legal representation (including the number of Litigants in Person) is published in Family Courts Statistics Quarterly with further information on legal representation status of applicants and respondents by case type: Information on the number of disposals and average time to first definitive disposal, broken down by parties with legal representation and case type is routinely published by the Ministry of Justice and can be found via Family Court Statistics Quarterly: The Review of Civil Legal Aid will consider the civil legal aid system in its entirety; from how services are procured, how well the current system works for users and how civil legal aid impacts the wider justice system.<\/p> Whilst the Review is not looking specifically at addressing delays in the family courts, more widely we are maximising sitting days to work through the outstanding caseload. In the family court, we sat to our highest ever level in 2021 \u2013 just under 56,000 days in public law and just under 83,000 days in private law. This is 2% higher than our sitting day levels in 2020 for public law and 16% higher than our sitting days in 2020 for private law.<\/p> We have significantly increased funding to improve waiting times in the family courts. This includes increasing funding to the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) by £8.4 million this financial year to deal with more open active cases.<\/p> We are modernising our systems through the HMCTS Reform programme to improve efficiency by removing unnecessary forms and duplication.<\/p> We have made greater use of fee-paid and part-time judges by lifting the number of days that fee-paid judges can sit.<\/p> We have also made provisions to ensure that fee-paid judiciary from elsewhere in England and Wales can now hear suitable cases remotely, to increase the judicial resource available to hear cases from London and the South East and reduce delays in those regions.<\/p> Legal aid is available in certain family matters, such as public family law cases which fall under the Children Act 1989. These types of cases include proceedings relating to whether a child should be taken into care or who should have parental responsibility or contact.<\/p> In March 2022, we published a detailed consultation on legal aid means-testing arrangements. The consultation proposed a broad suite of changes to the civil and criminal legal aid means test, with the aim of ensuring access to justice.<\/p> The Department for Education is working with the Public Law Working Group sub-group on care proceedings reform to bring learning from Family Drug and Alcohol Courts and other problem-solving approaches into public law proceedings, to make proceedings less adversarial and improve parents\u2019 engagement in the process.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4004", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Mike Freer"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Finchley and Golders Green"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Mike Freer"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2023-03-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : [{"_value" : "172402"}
, {"_value" : "172403"}
, {"_value" : "172405"}
], "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2023-03-28T15:38:41.1Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2023-03-23", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Family Courts: Legal Aid Scheme"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure the civil legal aid review helps tackle backlogs in the family courts.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4122", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Alex Cunningham"}
}
, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stockton North"}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Alex Cunningham"}
], "uin" : "172404"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1606773", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1606773/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " Information on legal representation (including the number of Litigants in Person) is published in Family Courts Statistics Quarterly with further information on legal representation status of applicants and respondents by case type:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2022<\/a>.<\/p>
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2022<\/a>.<\/p>
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2022<\/a>.<\/p>
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2022<\/a>.<\/p>
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2022<\/a>.<\/p>
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2022<\/a>.<\/p>
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2022<\/a>.<\/p>