Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, who will represent the Government at the service at Leicester Cathedral for the reburial of King Richard III.
Answered by Simon Hughes
I can confirm that the Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling, will be attending the reinterment ceremony on 26 March. The day marks a momentous occasion in English history, and I am pleased the ceremony will grant the late monarch a dignified and honourable burial.
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much core grant was provided to fund Victim Support services in the (a) Crown Court Witness Service and (b) Magistrates' Court Witness Service in North Yorkshire in each year since 2004-05.
Answered by Damian Green
The Ministry of Justice provides a core grant of £38m to Victim Support of which £12m is used to fund the provision of emotional and practical support for witnesses at criminal courts who wish to receive this service.
The Ministry of Justice does not routinely collect data on how this funding is distributed by Victim Support.
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many victims of crime and witnesses were supported by the Witness Service at (a) York Crown Court and (b) York Magistrages' Court in each year since 2004-05.
Answered by Damian Green
The Ministry of Justice does not routinely collect this data. Victim Support has provided the data based on available information.
As part of its Grant in Aid to Victim Support, the Ministry of Justice requires the provision of a court based witness service.
Victim Support has provided the following figures for 2009/10-2013/14 showing the number of people supported:
Year | York Crown Court | York Magistrates' Court |
2009/10 | 717 | 606 |
2010/11 | 701 | 405 |
2011/12 | 612 | 368 |
2012/13 | 557 | 333 |
2013/14 | 547 | 870 |
Whilst crime rates continue to fall, Victim Support continues to support all witnesses who wish to receive support when attending court.
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many custodial sentences were handed down at (a) York Magristrates' Court and (b) York Crown Court in each year since 2008.
Answered by Jeremy Wright
Sentencing is entirely a matter for the courts, taking account of all the circumstances of each case.
Since 2010, crime has continued to fall and fewer individuals are entering the criminal justice system for the first time. Defendants are now more likely to be convicted for committing crime and sent to prison for longer than they were a decade ago. In addition, criminals convicted since 2010 are more likely to receive an immediate custodial sentence, both overall and for a first time offence.
The number of offenders given a custodial sentence at (a) York Magistrates' Court and (b) York Crown Court each year from 2008 to 2013 can be viewed in the table.
The number of persons sentenced to custodial sentenced to a custodial sentence at York Magistrate's courts(1) and York Crown court(2) from 2008 to 2013(3)(4)
Year | Magistrates' courts | Crown court |
2008 | 188 | 351 |
2009 | 249 | 440 |
2010 | 259 | 372 |
2011 | 255 | 441 |
2012 | 257 | 360 |
2013 | 211 | 335 |
(1) Includes Magistrates' courts falling with the York and Selby Local Justice Area (LJA). As of 1st January 2012 Selby LJA and York LJA merged to into York and Selby LJA | ||
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(2) Figures specific to York Crown Court | ||
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(3) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. | ||
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(4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. | ||
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Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice. | ||
PQ 198530 | ||
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much has been spent on (a) civil and (b) criminal legal aid in (i) cash and (ii) real terms in (A) England and (B) York in each year since 1995.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The amount spent on (a) civil and (b) criminal legal aid in (i) cash (i.e. net of operating receipts) and (ii) real terms in each of the last 20 years was provided by way of a written response on 18 June 2013 to the hon. Member for York Central's Parliamentary Question 160682.
The Legal Aid Agency does not record the number of people who receive legal aid. Instead it records the number of ‘acts of assistance'. One individual may receive a number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person. As the categorisation of legal aid has changed over the last 20 years, acts of assistance relating to representation in court cannot be accurately compared over time. The total acts of assistance relating to civil and criminal cases from 1995 onwards were provided by way of a written response on 18 June 2013 to the hon. Member for York Central's Parliamentary Question 160683.
With regard to the breakdowns requested for England and York, to extract the information requested from the Legal Aid Agency's IT Systems would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Hugh Bayley (Labour - York Central)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of people with cases before (a) civil and (b) criminal courts received legal aid in (i) England and (ii) York in each year since 1995.
Answered by Shailesh Vara
The amount spent on (a) civil and (b) criminal legal aid in (i) cash (i.e. net of operating receipts) and (ii) real terms in each of the last 20 years was provided by way of a written response on 18 June 2013 to the hon. Member for York Central's Parliamentary Question 160682.
The Legal Aid Agency does not record the number of people who receive legal aid. Instead it records the number of ‘acts of assistance'. One individual may receive a number of separate acts of assistance, and one act of assistance can help more than one person. As the categorisation of legal aid has changed over the last 20 years, acts of assistance relating to representation in court cannot be accurately compared over time. The total acts of assistance relating to civil and criminal cases from 1995 onwards were provided by way of a written response on 18 June 2013 to the hon. Member for York Central's Parliamentary Question 160683.
With regard to the breakdowns requested for England and York, to extract the information requested from the Legal Aid Agency's IT Systems would incur disproportionate cost.