Asked by: James Sunderland (Conservative - Bracknell)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
What plans he has to amend the Human Rights Act 1998.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Yesterday the Government announced the launch of the Independent Human Rights Act Review, which is a key manifesto commitment of Government.
The Review will be a technical examination of the operation of the Human Rights Act, chaired by Sir Peter Gross. It will focus on the relationship between domestic courts and the European Court of Human Rights, as well as the relationship between the judiciary, the executive and the legislature.
The Panel have been requested to provide a detailed, independent piece of advice outlining options for reform by Summer 2021. A government response will subsequently be published.
Asked by: James Sunderland (Conservative - Bracknell)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
What steps his Department is taking to ensure legal aid is accessible to people that need it.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Last year, the Legal Aid Agency spent around £1.7bn on legal aid for those who need it – this government is committed to maintaining access to justice. Wider than legal aid, we are enhancing the support on offer to litigants in person by providing a further £3m of funding and investing up to £5m in a Legal Support Innovation Fund.
In addition, we are making a number of changes to legal aid. This includes undertaking a comprehensive review of the means test, improving and simplifying the exceptional case funding scheme, making face-to-face advice more readily available in a number of civil matters, and undertaking an awareness campaign for legal aid and legal support.