Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what account he has taken of accessibility of digital services for people who do not have access to the internet when considering potential court closures as part of proposals on the provision of the court and tribunal estate; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
An impact assessment was published alongside the consultation document. An updated impact assessment will be published with the consultation response, which will assess any further impacts identified from the responses received.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of the family test on his Department's policies; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Family Test was introduced in October 2014 and can be located at the following link Family Test Guidance
The Family Test is part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of new policy in line with the guidance. Potential impacts of policy on family functioning and relationships are identified and brought to the attention of Ministers where appropriate.
There is no requirement to publish the Family Test assessments. The Ministry of Justice does not collect information on the number of full Family Test assessments completed.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of potential risks associated with vulnerable witnesses and defendants travelling by public transport when considering potential court closures as part of proposals on the future of the court and tribunal estate; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
To ensure that access to justice is maintained, we are committed to providing alternative ways for users to access our services. This includes the use of other civic buildings and extending video conferencing facilities. This will further reduce the need for vulnerable victims and witnesses to travel to attend court.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential opportunities to enhance local services on pre-existing estates by co-locating services as part of proposals on the provision of the court and tribunal estate; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The consultation on the provision of court and tribunal services in England and Wales included details of plans to integrate services in 31 existing court buildings. The court estate is kept under review and any further opportunities to integrate services will be carefully considered.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 October 2015 to Question 10800, when the potential closures of courts will be announced; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
HM Courts & Tribunals Service is currently in the process of assessing all responses to the consultation and I expect to announce the outcome of the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Caroline Ansell (Conservative - Eastbourne)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding his Department has available for potential replacement premises and technologies in the light of the proposed closures of court and tribunal estates set out in his Department's recent consultation.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
No decisions have been made regarding the proposed closures.