Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to continue the Review of Civil Legal Aid; and if so, when they intend to publish a final report.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We are committed to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the civil legal aid sector and are keen to work closely with practitioners and their representative bodies to look at how best we can address this.

We want to understand the different ways in which the justice system can be improved and will be carefully considering our options on the way forward. This includes considering the evidence on civil legal aid gathered over the past year.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase fees payable for (1) barristers, and (2) solicitors, undertaking legal aid cases.

Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We want to understand the different ways in which the justice system can be improved and will be carefully considering our options on the way forward, including with regards to legal aid. We acknowledge that the sustainability of the profession is central to a successful legal aid system.

We will carefully consider the evidence including, for example, information gathered as part of the Review of Civil Legal Aid.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the £25,000 cap on grants under Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme in 2025–26 will apply to works (1) which are at tender stage with finances committed, (2) which are currently in progress, and (3) in relation to which contracts have been signed.

Answered by Baroness Twycross - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

We expect the cap will be applied to all claims received on or after 1 April 2025. We will provide published guidance on scheme applications and eligibility in due course.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how the recruitment of more modern slavery case workers announced in October 2024 will improve National Referral Mechanism waiting times for conclusive grounds decisions for women, which, according to recent data from the International Organization for Migration, are 16 months longer than for men.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government inherited a system in which decision-making times were too long and that is why we made it a priority to reduce these via the recruitment of additional 200 decision makers. This will support all victims, and the backlog of cases has already reduced significantly,

NRM statistics are published and can be found here Modern slavery: NRM and DtN statistics, October to December 2024 - GOV.UK

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether their forthcoming Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy will consider victims of sexual exploitation in the light of recent data from the International Organization for Migration showing that fewer women and girls are being supported through the National Referral Mechanism.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is working closely with law enforcement to tackle the drivers of trafficking for sexual exploitation, including through law enforcement operational intensifications aimed at tackling modern slavery threats and targeting prolific perpetrators. We are currently considering policy options on how we can best support those impacted by sexual exploitation, including in the context of our violence against women and girls strategy.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much income the NHS has received from immigration health surcharge payments in each of the last two financial years.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office collects the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Devolved Health Administrations (DHAs). After deducting administration/collection costs, the Home Office transfers the balance to DHSC and the DHAs through the Estimates process, according to the Barnett Formula population percentages.

Information on the income raised by the IHS is published annually in the Home Office Annual report and Accounts. Note that the IHS total is made up of both amounts of Retained Income and amounts payable to the Consolidated Fund.

During the 2022-23 financial year, the IHS generated £1,706m.

During the 2023-24 financial year, the IHS generated £1,782m.

Information on the income for the 2024-25 financial year will be available once the accounts are published later this year.

The Home Office keeps all aspects of the immigration system under regular review. The Home Office undertook an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) and an Impact Assessment (IA) alongside the IHS increase.

Found: meeting Members present: Baroness O’Grady of Upper Holloway (The Chair); Baroness Barker; The Lord Bishop of Bristol

Found: During the session on 15th April 2024, The Lord Bishop of Bristol and Baroness Barker requested further

Found: meeting Members present: Baroness O’Grady of Upper Holloway (The Chair); Baroness Barker; The Lord Bishop of Bristol