Ministry of Justice<p>The Lord Chancellor has a duty to ensure that legal aid is made available in accordance with the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (2012) and last year the Government spent £1.7bn on legal aid.</p><p>Legal aid can help meet the costs of legal advice, family mediation and representation in a court or tribunal. Legal Aid is not allocated by constituency but is available for cases where the relevant criteria, such as the financial eligibility of the applicant and/or the degree of legal merit in their case, is met, where applicable. Legal aid may not always be ‘free’, for instance where contributions are required towards the overall subsidised costs depending on the means of the applicant, or where this must be paid back, such as upon conviction in criminal matters, or where assets are recovered in civil proceedings.</p><p>Alongside this, in February 2019 the Ministry of Justice published the Legal Support Action Plan which outlines how the Government aims to improve the breadth of support on offer to people when they experience legal problems. As part of this, a series of pilots will be launched to test early forms of intervention that stop people’s problems from escalating and becoming more complex. This includes an investment of up to £5m into a Legal Support Innovation Fund to explore the role technology can play in helping people identify and resolve their legal issues, and we are enhancing the support on offer to litigants in person by providing a further £3m of funding over the next two years, ensuring that those representing themselves in court understand the process and are better supported through it. Many of the measures announced in the action plan will help people, including those on low incomes, access free legal support.</p><p>Access to justice is a fundamental right and the Government is committed to ensuring that everyone can get the support they need to access the justice system across England and Wales.</p>CheltenhamAlex Chalk2020-02-25false2020-02-25T12:07:22.267Z54JusticeJustice2020-02-11Legal Aid Scheme: Low Incomes1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding his Department has allocated to ensure access to free legal support for people on low incomes in (a) Liverpool West Derby constituency and (b) the UK.falseLiverpool, West DerbyIan Byrne617Ministry of Justice<p>Coronial investigation decisions are entirely a matter for coroners as independent judicial office holders; it is therefore inappropriate for the Government to comment on those decisions.</p>CheltenhamAlex Chalk2020-02-24false2020-02-24T17:40:58.587Z54JusticeJustice2020-02-12Coroners: Southport1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the Senior Coroner at the Southport office plans to make a decision on reopening the investigation into the death of Laura Higginson; and whether a Middleton type inquest will be part of that consideration.falseHaltonDerek Twigg1168Ministry of Justice<p>The Lugano Convention 2007 is an international agreement establishing rules on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters covering the EU, Norway, Switzerland and Iceland.</p><p> </p><p>Further details on the Government’s proposed approach to negotiations with the EU about our future relationship will be published shortly.</p>CheltenhamAlex Chalk2020-02-24false2020-02-24T17:39:32.13Z54JusticeJustice2020-02-12Lugano Convention1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government has plans for the UK to accede to the Lugano Convention.falseLeeds CentralHilary Benn1167Ministry of Justice<p>The Government is considering the case for reforming the law on corporate criminal liability for economic crime and will publish a response to the Call for Evidence in due course.</p>CheltenhamAlex Chalk2020-02-26false2020-02-26T13:50:57.897Z54JusticeJustice2020-02-13Business: Economic Crime1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to respond to the corporate liability for economic crime: call for evidence consultation, which closed on 31 March 2017.falseSutton ColdfieldMr Andrew Mitchell1875Ministry of Justice<p>In a Written Ministerial Statement on enforcement agent (bailiff) reform made to Parliament on 22 July 2019, the Government set out its initial response to the call for evidence which closed in February 2019.We have continued to engage with stakeholders in order to finalise our response. We plan to respond to the call for evidence in full in due course.</p>CheltenhamAlex Chalk2020-02-26false2020-02-26T17:40:36.503Z54JusticeJustice2020-02-21Debt Collection1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 25 June 2019 to Question 265611 on Debt Collection, what his timescale is for responding to his Department's Review of enforcement agent (bailiff) reforms: call for evidence, published in November 2018; and what plans he has to issue new guidelines on the conduct of enforcement officers.falseHornsey and Wood GreenCatherine West18388Ministry of Justice<p>We made a commitment in our manifesto to update the Human Rights Act 1998 and administrative law to ensure that there is a proper balance between the rights of individuals, our national security and effective government. We are now considering how best to do this, and have no current plans to introduce a British Bill of Rights.</p>CheltenhamAlex Chalk2020-03-02false2020-03-02T15:51:11.697Z54JusticeJustice2020-02-21Bill of Rights1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will consider introducing a British bill of rights.falseMorley and OutwoodMrs Andrea Jenkyns18637Ministry of Justice<p>We will publish our response to the remaining Joint Committee recommendations on the Draft Domestic Abuse Bill, including on whether to undertake a review on how to address domestic abuse in relationships between under-16 year olds, when the Bill is re-introduced. As the Leader of the House of Commons has indicated, we expect this to be ahead of the Easter recess.</p><p> </p><p>Domestic abuse has a devastating impact on children and young people. Growing up in a household of fear and intimidation can impact their health, wellbeing and development, with lasting effects into adulthood. That is why the government has provided £8m over the last two years for services designed to support children affected by domestic abuse, be it perpetrated by parents/guardians or children they’re in a relationship with.</p><p> </p><p>We are fully committed to enacting the landmark Domestic Abuse Bill to transform the response to domestic abuse. A key aim of the Bill is to raise awareness of the impact that domestic abuse can have on children and to ensure they are considered victims in their own right.</p><p> </p>CheltenhamAlex Chalk2020-03-02false2020-03-02T15:36:35.283Z54JusticeJustice2020-02-21Domestic Abuse: Children1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the recommendations of the Joint Committee on the Draft Domestic Abuse Bill in its First Report of Session 2017–19, whether he plans to undertake a review on how to address domestic abuse in relationships between under-16 year olds.falseTwickenhamMunira Wilson18918Ministry of Justice<p>Government consulted in 2014 on marriages by non-religious belief organisations. Its summary assessment of costs and benefits was published in the response, which can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/marriages-by-non-religious-belief-organisations.</p>CheltenhamAlex Chalk2020-03-02false2020-03-02T15:32:31.13Z54JusticeJustice2020-02-21Marriage: Humanism1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the financial effect on couples wishing to have a humanist wedding of the requirement to also have a civil ceremony in order for their marriage to be lawfully recognised.falseEnfield, SouthgateBambos Charalambous18961Ministry of Justice<p>Under the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020, the Secretary of State is to appoint the chair and the other non-executive members of the IMA. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor will ensure that these appointments are made in good time, before the end of the transition period. Once appointed, the non-executive members will need to appoint certain executive members. The 2020 Act also empowers the Secretary of State to appoint an interim chief executive of the IMA.</p>CheltenhamAlex Chalk2020-02-28false2020-02-28T14:45:43.763Z54JusticeJustice2020-02-21Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizens' Rights Agreements1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the nomination process and timetable is for the appointment of members to the Independent Monitoring Authority for the Citizen’s Rights Agreements, as proposed in the Withdrawal Agreement.falseBermondsey and Old SouthwarkNeil Coyle18842Ministry of Justice<p>Legal aid remains available for mediation in certain family disputes, where the parties meet the eligibility criteria. The latest published Legal Aid Statistics show that in family mediation, Mediation Information and Assessment Meetings (MIAMs) assessments increased by 20% in the last quarter compared to the same quarter in the previous year.</p><p> </p><p>In the Legal Support Action Plan, we committed to launching a campaign to raise awareness of the full breadth of legal support available, including legal aid.</p><p> </p><p>We work closely with the Family Mediation Council, and support Family Mediation through regular signposting and communications. We also attend the Family Mediation Council Standards Board which helps set the standards for mediators to ensure individuals get a quality service. We recently highlighted Family Mediation Week in January 2020 through social media channels.</p><p> </p>CheltenhamAlex Chalk2020-02-2719947false2020-02-27T14:11:27.05Z54JusticeJustice2020-02-24Family Conciliation Services1House of CommonsTo ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to increase legal aid pay rates for family mediation services.falseBarnsley CentralDan Jarvis19946100110974