Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answers of 23 September 2022 to Question 51747 and of 1 November 2022 to Question 69851, whether he expects the Bill of Rights to return to the House as introduced on at First Reading.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government was elected with a manifesto commitment to ‘update the Human Rights Act... to ensure there is a proper balance between the rights of individuals, our vital national security and effective government’. The Government stands by this commitment.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to reform human rights law in the UK.
Answered by Gareth Johnson
The Government is now looking again at the Bill of Rights Bill to ensure that it will deliver our objectives in this area as effectively as possible.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will extend the deadline for his Department's consultation, Human Rights Act Reform: A Modern Bill of Rights, in response to the delay in publishing a full easy read version of that document.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The publication of the easy-read version of our consultation on A Modern Bill of Rights was regrettably delayed due to issues with an external supplier. As a result of this, the Secretary of State has extended the deadline for responses by six weeks for those with needs for an easy-read or audio version of the consultation document. The new deadline for these responses is 19 April.
Ministry of Justice officials will be conducting focused engagement sessions with disability organisations to explore the proposals outlined in the consultation further. The Department will also complete a full Equalities Impact Assessment of any proposals taken forward.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the review into the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 will include an open call for evidence.
Answered by Oliver Heald
To begin the process of reviewing the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), the Government plans to submit a Post Legislative Memorandum to the Justice Select Committee in a few months’ time. We will outline our plans for the post-implementation review (PIR) of LASPO in more detail when we submit the memorandum to Parliament. The PIR will cover the reforms to legal aid made by LASPO. We intend to work closely with key parties across the sector to inform the review’s conclusions.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if she will publish the scope of the review into the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
Answered by Oliver Heald
To begin the process of reviewing the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), the Government plans to submit a Post Legislative Memorandum to the Justice Select Committee in a few months’ time. We will outline our plans for the post-implementation review (PIR) of LASPO in more detail when we submit the memorandum to Parliament. The PIR will cover the reforms to legal aid made by LASPO. We intend to work closely with key parties across the sector to inform the review’s conclusions.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whom her Department plans to consult during the development of the review into the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.
Answered by Oliver Heald
To begin the process of reviewing the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), the Government plans to submit a Post Legislative Memorandum to the Justice Select Committee in a few months’ time. We will outline our plans for the post-implementation review (PIR) of LASPO in more detail when we submit the memorandum to Parliament. The PIR will cover the reforms to legal aid made by LASPO. We intend to work closely with key parties across the sector to inform the review’s conclusions.
Asked by: Anne McLaughlin (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will review the level of employment tribunal fees.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
On 11 June we announced the start of the post-implementation review of the introduction of fees in the Employment Tribunal. The review will consider how successful the policy has been in achieving its original objectives, which included maintaining access to justice for those seeking to bring disputes to the Tribunal. Our intention is to complete the review later this year.