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<p>In January 2022, the High Court declared the National Disability Strategy (NDS)
was unlawful because the UK Disability Survey, which informed it, was held to be a
voluntary consultation that failed to comply with the legal requirements on public
consultations.</p><p>The Ministry of Justice had five policies included in the National
Disability Strategy. These include to:</p><p>○ attract more disabled people to the
magistracy;</p><p>○ set out enhanced rights for disabled victims;</p><p>○ progress
legislation in 2021 as part of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill to amend
common law so that deaf people who need a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter
can do jury service</p><p>○ develop a neurodiversity training toolkit for frontline
staff;</p><p>○ improve provision for disabled users, including through the accessibility
of the estate and use of digital support.</p><p><strong>Fully Implemented Policies</strong></p><ul><li>The
MoJ has invested over £1 million to support the recruitment of 4,000 new and diverse
magistrates over the next few years in England and Wales. This includes encouraging
more applications from a range of underrepresented groups in the magistracy, such
as those with disabilities.</li><li>The Victims’ Code sets out the minimum level of
service that victims must receive from criminal justice bodies. In April 2021, a revised
Victim’s Code came into force, structured around 12 key entitlements that are straightforward,
concise and easy to understand.</li><li>The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act
2022 gained Royal Assent in April 2022 and the provision allowing BSL interpreters
to be appointed for deaf jurors came into force at the end of June 2022.</li><li>HMPPS
have developed a ‘National Neurodiversity Training Toolkit’ that is available for
all frontline staff within prison and probation. The toolkit was developed by and
with neurodivergent staff, in cooperation with HMPPS and MoJ staff networks.</li><li>HMCTS
has awarded a contract to the organisation ‘We are Digital’ who are delivering a service
to support digitally excluded citizen users’ access to online services. This is being
delivered through a network of advice and support organisations such as Law Centres,
Citizens Advice and community centres.</li><li>MoJ is piloting digital tools to improve
support for neurodivergent people and evaluate what works well to inform future interventions.
This includes piloting a new digitised literacy tool aimed at improving outcomes for
prison leavers with learning disabilities and low literacy. This pilot will run for
12 months until October 2023, with an emphasis on evaluating the reducing reoffending
rate over time.</li></ul><p> </p><p>We remain fully committed to supporting disabled
people in the UK through creating more opportunities, protecting their rights and
ensuring they fully benefit from, and can contribute to, every aspect of our society.
To support this, the Ministry of Justice will be providing further details of our
recent achievements to improve disabled people’s lives in the forthcoming Disability
Action Plan consultation due for publication in the summer.</p><p>Ahead of this, the
Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work will write providing a list of these
achievements and will place a copy in the House Library.</p>
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