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1626123

registered interest
date	09/05/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Custody: Mediation
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 effectiveness of the Our Family Wizard mobile application in facilitating mediation in child custody disputes.
tabling member constituency	South Leicestershire
tabling member printed	Alberto Costa
uin	184111
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2023 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice has not made a specific assessment of the effectiveness of the Our Family Wizard mobile application in supporting mediation, but we are aware that it is one of a number of digital applications that may support parents to effectively co-parent their children post-separation.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is currently consulting on how we can best support families resolve their disputes outside of court, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/supporting-earlier-resolution-of-private-family-law-arrangements. Specific feedback is being sought on the role that online tools can play in supporting separating parents.</p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer question first answered 17/05/2023 15:16:58 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4439 label Biography information for Alberto Costa

1624742

registered interest
date	28/04/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Taxis: Guide Dogs
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prosecutions each licensing authority has brought under the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 governing a blind person's right to travel in licensed taxis with their guide dogs since January 2022, broken down by licensing authority.
tabling member constituency	Lewisham, Deptford
tabling member printed	Vicky Foxcroft
uin	183252
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2023 answer text <p>The Ministry of Justice publishes information on prosecutions for various offences in the Outcomes by Offence data tool: June 2022. Offences under the provisions of the Equality Act 2020 governing a blind person’s right to travel in licenced taxis with their guide dog are within 19599 – Other summary non-motoring offences.</p><p> </p><p>Between January to June 2022, there were no prosecutions related to this act. Prosecutions for 2022 will be available in the next annual Criminal Justice System Statistics publication.</p><p> </p><p>Details of licensing authority are not held centrally in the Court Proceedings database.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 09/05/2023 15:47:22 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4491 label Biography information for Vicky Foxcroft

1624324

registered interest
date	27/04/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Probation
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the HM Inspectorate of Probation report entitled Independent serious further offence review of Jordan McSweeney, published January 2023, what progress he has made on implementing each of the 10 recommendations in that report.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	183068
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2023 answer text <p>This was a despicable crime. We have apologised unreservedly to Zara Aleena’s family for the unacceptable failings in the management of this case.</p><p> </p><p>H M Prison &amp; Probation Service (HMPPS) has accepted all of the recommendations in the report and is in the process of implementing them. HMPPS will conduct reviews to measure progress in implementing the measures outlined in the resulting Action Plan, at the six-month and twelve-month points after publication.</p><p> </p><p>We have provided extra funding of more than £155 million a year to enable the Probation Service to deliver more robust supervision, reduce caseloads and recruit thousands more staff to keep the public safer. Better information-sharing arrangements between all sectors of the criminal justice system; improving the quality of court reports; and support for senior probation officers to manage complex teams and caseloads will strengthen probation practice and improve public protection. We have also updated mandatory training for new staff, to improve risk assessments, and are implementing new processes to guarantee the swift recall of offenders.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 09/05/2023 10:17:31 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1624325

registered interest
date	27/04/2023
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	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the backlog in court cases on levels of reoffending.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	183069
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2023 answer text <p>This Government is tackling the causes of reoffending to make our streets safer. We are investing in probation services and new initiatives to reduce reoffending and beat crime.</p><p>Over the past 10 years, reoffending rates have been in general decline with the overall rate falling from 31.6% in 2010/11 to 24.4% in 2020/21.</p><p>Since reoffending is measured over a 12 month follow up period, plus a six-month waiting period to allow offences to be proven in court, these latest offender cohorts have overlapped with national lockdowns and a period of on-going recovery for the courts. As a result, volatility continues to be seen in the reoffending figures. It is not possible to separately identify the impact of the backlog in court cases from other factors on reoffending rates.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 03/05/2023 12:09:22 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1624353

registered interest
date	27/04/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Courts and Prisons: Buildings
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 24 April to Question 181017 on Courts and Prisons: Buildings, whether his Department has commissioned a survey to identify buildings within the (a) prison and (b) court and tribunal estate which may have been constructed with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete.
tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
uin	183039
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2023 answer text <p>Surveys were undertaken across the Court and Tribunal estate during 2021/22, during which a small minority - 6 buildings – were identified that may include the presence of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete.</p><p>We are working rapidly to identify any instances where Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete may be in place across the prison estate and any remedial action needed.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 03/05/2023 18:12:12 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1624370

registered interest
date	27/04/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Reoffenders: Convictions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many serious further offence notifications resulted in a conviction by each type of offence in each year since 2010.
tabling member constituency	Croydon North
tabling member printed	Steve Reed
uin	183070
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2023 answer text <p>I refer the honourable Member for Croydon North to the answer I gave on 20 January 2023, to Question UIN 125451: <a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-01-17/125451" target="_blank">https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-01-17/125451</a>.</p> answering member constituency East Hampshire answering member printed Damian Hinds question first answered 03/05/2023 12:10:01 answering member 3969 label Biography information for Damian Hinds
tabling member	4268 label Biography information for Steve Reed

1624375

registered interest
date	27/04/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Child Trust Fund: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on allowing access to Child Trust Funds using DWP Appointee status as a proxy for approval.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	183061
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2023 answer text <p>With the introduction of the online process for property and affairs applications the decision clearance time for a Court of Protection application has been reduced from 24 weeks to 8 weeks. In cases of emergency the court is able to provide a decision within 24 hours.</p><p>The online process for property and affairs applications was made available to all court users in February. We continue to review and revise the process and the court will continue to identify areas to simplify and remove duplication on court forms, including uploading to the online process many of the forms required for a property and affairs applications. To date, there have been no discussions between the Secretary of State and other Cabinet colleagues on allowing access to Child Trust Funds using DWP Appointee status as a proxy for approval as discussions have remained at policy official level.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 183062 183063 question first answered 03/05/2023 14:47:33 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1624377

registered interest
date	27/04/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Court of Protection
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the decision clearance time was for a Court of Protection application as of 27 April 2023.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	183062
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2023 answer text <p>With the introduction of the online process for property and affairs applications the decision clearance time for a Court of Protection application has been reduced from 24 weeks to 8 weeks. In cases of emergency the court is able to provide a decision within 24 hours.</p><p>The online process for property and affairs applications was made available to all court users in February. We continue to review and revise the process and the court will continue to identify areas to simplify and remove duplication on court forms, including uploading to the online process many of the forms required for a property and affairs applications. To date, there have been no discussions between the Secretary of State and other Cabinet colleagues on allowing access to Child Trust Funds using DWP Appointee status as a proxy for approval as discussions have remained at policy official level.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 183061 183063 question first answered 03/05/2023 14:47:33 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1624380

registered interest
date	27/04/2023
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Court of Protection
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 to help simplify the court process for Court of Protection applications since the publication of the Mental Capacity: Small Payments Scheme Government Response in February 2023.
tabling member constituency	Leicester South
tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
uin	183063
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/05/2023 answer text <p>With the introduction of the online process for property and affairs applications the decision clearance time for a Court of Protection application has been reduced from 24 weeks to 8 weeks. In cases of emergency the court is able to provide a decision within 24 hours.</p><p>The online process for property and affairs applications was made available to all court users in February. We continue to review and revise the process and the court will continue to identify areas to simplify and remove duplication on court forms, including uploading to the online process many of the forms required for a property and affairs applications. To date, there have been no discussions between the Secretary of State and other Cabinet colleagues on allowing access to Child Trust Funds using DWP Appointee status as a proxy for approval as discussions have remained at policy official level.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar grouped question UIN 183061 183062 question first answered 03/05/2023 14:47:33 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1624407

registered interest
date	27/04/2023
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, what estimate he has made of the number of people who are unable to afford private legal fees and are ineligible for legal aid; whether his Department has identified areas of the country where there is a lack of legal aid services available across different legal specialisms; and if he will make an assessment of the impact of the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (2012) on (a) the number of people who are unable to afford private legal fees and are ineligible for legal aid and (b) the areas where there is a lack of legal aid services available across different legal specialisms.
tabling member constituency	Salford and Eccles
tabling member printed	Rebecca Long Bailey
uin	183074
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/05/2023 answer text <p>In March 2022, the Ministry of Justice consulted on several changes to the civil and criminal legal aid means tests to ensure that legal aid remains accessible to all who need it. When implemented, the changes will increase the number of people eligible for civil legal aid in England and Wales by an additional 2.5 million.</p><p> </p><p>At the Crown Court, the Government has also proposed removing the current £37,500 disposable income threshold; if implemented, this would mean that all defendants at the Crown Court would be eligible for legal aid and so would not have to pay privately, though a proportion may be required to pay a monthly income contribution towards their legal costs.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) introduced changes to the scope of legal aid, legal aid services continued to be delivered following LASPO. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) publishes <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2022" target="_blank">statistics</a> regarding new cases completed and started in each period by legal aid scheme with additional breakdowns by region and by Controlled and Licensed Work at tables 9.1-5.</p><p>The LAA frequently reviews market capacity to make sure there is adequate provision of legal aid, in all categories of law, throughout England and Wales. The LAA moves quickly, where issues arise, to secure additional provision and to ensure demand for legal aid services, which may vary across different categories of law and across different geographic regions, is met. Legal advice on a range of civil matters including housing, debt, discrimination, and education is available, wherever people are, through the Civil Legal Advice telephone service.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice continues to consider the long-term sustainability of the criminal and civil legal aid market. Following publication of our full response to the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review (CLAIR) on 30 November 2022, we have boosted the system with immediate investment to address the most urgent concerns, including uplifts of 15% to most legal aid fee schemes.</p><p>Our plans will put criminal legal aid on a sustainable footing and ensure there is a sustainable supply of practitioners. Criminal legal aid spend is expected to increase to £1.2 billion per year, which is the highest level since 2010.</p><p>We have also recently launched a review of civil legal aid to identify evidence-based options which will help inform our longer-term strategy for improving the sustainability and effectiveness of the civil legal aid system.</p><p>Concerning legal aid for housing matters, the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/777038/post-implementation-review-of-part-1-of-laspo.pdf" target="_blank">2019 Post Implementation Review of Part 1 of LASPO</a> found that individuals experiencing social welfare problems, especially related to housing matters, struggle to resolve their problems early, often leading to a clustering of problems. This in turn requires costly intervention at the courts and increases pressure on social services. In response, the MoJ is amending LASPO to expand the scope of legal aid for people facing the loss of their home to include early legal advice on housing, debt and welfare benefits from 1 August 2023 through the creation of the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS).</p><p> </p><p>It is hoped that the HLPAS will enable individuals to resolve matters before court proceedings take place, reducing homelessness and pressure on the courts. HLPAS will also support housing legal aid providers, providing payment for the early legal advice and improving renumeration rates for delivering the court duty service. Up to £10m in annual funding has been made available for HLPAS.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, since 31 October 2022 we have been piloting early legal advice on certain housing, debt and welfare benefits matters in Manchester and Middlesbrough to test the impact of early legal advice on resolving an individual’s problem more quickly. The pilot ended on 31 March 2023 and a final evaluation report is expected in July 2023.</p><p> </p><p>Legal aid remains available for disrepair cases when there is a serious threat of illness or injury. Anyone in this position should contact the Civil Legal Advice helpline.</p><p> </p><p>Whilst the MoJ continually monitors the <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-october-to-december-2022/mortgage-and-landlord-possession-statistics-october-to-december-2022" target="_blank">latest data on possession proceedings</a>, we are unable to assess the impact of LASPO on any trends in possession proceedings, evictions, homelessness levels and numbers of successful application for local Government homelessness assistance. This is because we cannot isolate any LASPO impact from changes over the same period.</p><p> </p><p>Information concerning housing legal aid providers can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-october-to-december-2022" target="_blank">Legal aid statistics quarterly: October to December 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a></p> answering member constituency Finchley and Golders Green answering member printed Mike Freer grouped question UIN 183075 183076 183077 183078 183079 question first answered 09/05/2023 13:39:34 answering member 4004 label Biography information for Mike Freer
tabling member	4396 label Biography information for Rebecca Long Bailey