Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Victims' Commissioner's review of the criminal injuries compensation scheme.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
We welcome the Victims’ Commissioner’s report, ‘Compensation without re-traumatisation’, which was published on 23 January.
We will be considering carefully the report’s findings and recommendations as part of our ongoing review of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. The terms of reference for the review were published on 18 December 2018, and include consideration of how the Scheme can best reflect the changing nature of violent crime, and effectively support victims in their recovery. We intend to publish proposals later this year.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what his Department's policy is on Law Centres.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The ability of individuals to resolve their legal problems is vital to a just society. We are committed to ensuring that legal aid and legal support are available to those who need it most.
The Government recognises the work that Law Centres do in the local community, and supports Law Centres through both grant funding and through legal aid contracts. We will continue to engage with Law Centres about jointly creating a modern justice system that works for all.
Officials from the Ministry of Justice regularly and constructively engage with Law Centres. We have met with representatives from Law Centres on a number of occasions both generally and as part of the evidence gathering phase of the Post Implementation Review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. Insights from organisations like Law Centres who work within communities are crucial to understanding the experience of individuals as they progress through the justice system.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a prison service parliamentary scheme.
Answered by Rory Stewart
I recognise that it could be useful to give participants first-hand knowledge of the good work and innovation as well challenges being faced across the Service. We are carefully considering how a scheme for Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) could operate.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government plans to reinstate legal aid in refugee family reunion cases.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Legal aid is not generally available for matters concerning family reunion. Where a case is outside the scope of legal aid, exceptional funding may be available where required under ECHR or EU law.
The Lord Chancellor has confirmed that we shall conduct an evidence-based review of Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), assessing the changes against their objectives. This review will include changes made to provision of legal aid for family reunion.
Asked by: Hugh Gaffney (Labour - Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to implement the recommendations of the Lammy Review, an independent review into the treatment of, and outcomes for, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic individuals in the criminal justice system.
Answered by Phillip Lee
The Government is considering carefully all the recommendations made by David Lammy in his review and will respond in full, in due course. As part of my Department’s work stemming from the Race Disparity Audit published on 10 October we have confirmed that, in advance of our full response, we are able to accept four recommendations from the Review. These relate to the principle of “explain or change”, publishing more and better data on ethnicity, recruiting a more representative prison service workforce and developing indicators within prisons’ performance framework that allow us to assess the equality of outcomes for prisoners of all ethnicities.