Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what modelling he has undertaken on the potential effect of changes in trends in the number of low-value personal injury cases coming before HM Civil Courts in the event that an alternative dispute mechanism is not available through the small claims portal before April 2021.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Civil claims backlog data is not held by the Department. However, a revised impact assessment in relation to the forthcoming Statutory Instruments will be published in due course.
The Official Injury Claims portal is designed to be simple and easy to use. However, there will be occasions where claimants will need to be able to resolve disputes with the at-fault compensator. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) was initially proposed to resolve these, but as announced in a written Ministerial Statement published on 27 February 2020 no practicable solution for ADR could be found and it would not form part of the service. The full statement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/implementation-of-the-whiplash-reform-programme
The Government remains committed to ensuring access to justice, and unrepresented claimants will have access to a new accessible bespoke court process to enable any such disputes to be settled.
We are also working closely with Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service to understand the operational impacts of these new processes on the civil justice system and we will keep this matter under review, following implementation.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the small claims portal will be launched to the general public in 2021; what resources he has made available for communications to the public on how to make a minor injury claim under that new regime; and if he will he make a statement.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
As confirmed in a Written Ministerial statement on 21 April 2020 the Government remains committed to implementing the Whiplash Reform Programme by April 2021.
The Portal will be accompanied by comprehensive and clear guidance for the public and if at any stage users need assistance, they can call a dedicated Portal Support Centre.
We intend to engage with the public, third sector, representative organisations and professional users during the pre-launch, launch and post launch periods to ensure that those who need to access the service know how to do so.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he is making an assessment of the potential effect on (a) the backlog of civil cases and (b) access to justice of a mechanism for the alternative dispute resolution of minor personal injury cases for the new small claims portal.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Civil claims backlog data is not held by the Department. However, a revised impact assessment in relation to the forthcoming Statutory Instruments will be published in due course.
The Official Injury Claims portal is designed to be simple and easy to use. However, there will be occasions where claimants will need to be able to resolve disputes with the at-fault compensator. Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) was initially proposed to resolve these, but as announced in a written Ministerial Statement published on 27 February 2020 no practicable solution for ADR could be found and it would not form part of the service. The full statement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/implementation-of-the-whiplash-reform-programme
The Government remains committed to ensuring access to justice, and unrepresented claimants will have access to a new accessible bespoke court process to enable any such disputes to be settled.
We are also working closely with Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service to understand the operational impacts of these new processes on the civil justice system and we will keep this matter under review, following implementation.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil cases are awaiting a hearing in (a) each and (b) all civil courts in England and Wales; and what the quarterly increase was in cases awaiting a hearing between January and March, April and June and July and September 2020.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The information requested is not held.
We use a variety of management information to measure the work in the civil courts, including but not limited to, the volume of incoming receipts and defences along with timeliness of case progression. However, specific data relating to backlog is not held. Quarterly statistics are held at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-justice-statistics-quarterly
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many inmates of HMP Wormwood Scrubs are confined to their cells as a result of covid-19 infection in the prison; and for what period they will remain confined.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Closed settings such as prisons pose particular challenges in managing outbreaks, but we have implemented strong measures to mitigate this risk, guided by public health advice, and with the safety of staff and prisoners remaining the absolute priority.
Between ‘five and fewer’ required external hospitalisation but it is reported that they were not receiving hospital treatment as a result of covid-19. We do not hold medical records for any individual and therefore cannot disclose underlying medical conditions.
Verified data on the number of prisoners that have tested positive for Covid-19 in September and October is due to be published in November, as part of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) national Covid-19 statistics and workforce statistics on gov.uk:
As of 23 October a total of 59 prisoners at HMP Wormwood Scrubs were in isolation for a period of 14 days as a result of being symptomatic or similar COVID related conditions. This is in line with the Government contact tracing policies. The establishment continues to isolate prisoners displaying symptoms, as set out in the HMPPS compartmentalisation strategy.
Prisoners, including those who are isolating have unlimited access to washing and toilet facilities. They also have access to in-cell telephony so that they can maintain family contact which is vital for their mental wellbeing and rehabilitation. Since the onset of covid-19, all prisoners have been provided with additional telephone credit to encourage contact with their families. Those in isolation have also been given further credit during this period.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what access inmates of HMP Wormwood Scrubs confined to their cells as a result of covid-19 infection in the prison have to (a) washing and toilet facilities and (b) telephone calls to family members.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Closed settings such as prisons pose particular challenges in managing outbreaks, but we have implemented strong measures to mitigate this risk, guided by public health advice, and with the safety of staff and prisoners remaining the absolute priority.
Between ‘five and fewer’ required external hospitalisation but it is reported that they were not receiving hospital treatment as a result of covid-19. We do not hold medical records for any individual and therefore cannot disclose underlying medical conditions.
Verified data on the number of prisoners that have tested positive for Covid-19 in September and October is due to be published in November, as part of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) national Covid-19 statistics and workforce statistics on gov.uk:
As of 23 October a total of 59 prisoners at HMP Wormwood Scrubs were in isolation for a period of 14 days as a result of being symptomatic or similar COVID related conditions. This is in line with the Government contact tracing policies. The establishment continues to isolate prisoners displaying symptoms, as set out in the HMPPS compartmentalisation strategy.
Prisoners, including those who are isolating have unlimited access to washing and toilet facilities. They also have access to in-cell telephony so that they can maintain family contact which is vital for their mental wellbeing and rehabilitation. Since the onset of covid-19, all prisoners have been provided with additional telephone credit to encourage contact with their families. Those in isolation have also been given further credit during this period.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases of covid-19 have been identified in HMP Wormwood Scrubs; how many of those identified are receiving hospital treatment; how many require intensive care or ventilation; and how many are people who are vulnerable or have an underlying medical condition.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Closed settings such as prisons pose particular challenges in managing outbreaks, but we have implemented strong measures to mitigate this risk, guided by public health advice, and with the safety of staff and prisoners remaining the absolute priority.
Between ‘five and fewer’ required external hospitalisation but it is reported that they were not receiving hospital treatment as a result of covid-19. We do not hold medical records for any individual and therefore cannot disclose underlying medical conditions.
Verified data on the number of prisoners that have tested positive for Covid-19 in September and October is due to be published in November, as part of Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) national Covid-19 statistics and workforce statistics on gov.uk:
As of 23 October a total of 59 prisoners at HMP Wormwood Scrubs were in isolation for a period of 14 days as a result of being symptomatic or similar COVID related conditions. This is in line with the Government contact tracing policies. The establishment continues to isolate prisoners displaying symptoms, as set out in the HMPPS compartmentalisation strategy.
Prisoners, including those who are isolating have unlimited access to washing and toilet facilities. They also have access to in-cell telephony so that they can maintain family contact which is vital for their mental wellbeing and rehabilitation. Since the onset of covid-19, all prisoners have been provided with additional telephone credit to encourage contact with their families. Those in isolation have also been given further credit during this period.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he plans to announce the Chair of part two of the Criminal Legal Aid Review.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
We are working closely with stakeholders, including the criminal defence representative bodies, to ensure that the Independent Review is set up as quickly as possible and that we appoint the right chair and advisory panel so that the review can deliver a robust, evidence-based assessment of the criminal legal aid market.
This means ensuring that the chair of the review has the right skillset, expertise and experience. At present, we are working to identify and appoint the right candidate for the role and will say more in due course.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when part two of the Criminal Legal Aid Review is planned to conclude.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
We are working to ensure that the next phase of the Criminal Legal Aid Review is set up as quickly as possible and are planning for the Independent Review to conclude in 2021. However, this timeframe will be subject to the agreement of the Chair, once appointed. We will seek to confirm the timeframe at the launch of the Independent Review.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to his Department's guidance notes and forms for requesting transcription of Tribunal proceedings, requiring that appellants will usually have to pay for those transcripts unless the court believes there are special circumstances, what financial criteria people are required to meet in their EX105 form to demonstrate such poor financial circumstances that the cost of obtaining a transcript would be an excessive burden, qualifying them for a free transcript paid at public expense.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Following an applicant’s EX105 form, the decision to grant a transcript paid at public expense in Tribunal proceedings remains a judicial one. It would not be appropriate for Ministers to comment on how such decisions are made. Information on financial criteria requirements are published at: https://www.gov.uk/get-help-with-court-fees.