Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what sum the UK Supreme Court received in fees from the Hong Kong authorities for the service of UK judges sitting on Hong Kong's Court of Final Appeal in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Serving justices of the UK Supreme Court receive a salary and do not receive any additional fees when sitting on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. The Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal pays a fee to the UK Supreme Court.
In 2019 the UK Supreme Court received £31,913.70 for sittings undertaken by justices.
No fees were received in 2020 as no justices sat on the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal.
The total fees the Supreme Court will receive for the justices’ sittings in 2021 have not yet been confirmed.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases UK judges served on for the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021; and what proportion of those cases related to (i) criminal, (ii) civil and (iii) commercial offences.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The two serving Supreme Court judges who sit in the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal heard cases as follows:
2019: Lord Reed heard two criminal cases in September.
2020: No serving UK Supreme Court judges heard any cases.
2021: Lord Reed heard two criminal cases (he sat remotely from 31 August to 3 September). Lord Hodge heard two criminal cases (he sat in Hong Kong between 23 and 26 November 2021).
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 25 November 2021 to Question 76700 on Remand in Custody, when the Government plans to reach a conclusion on its review of the use of the power in the Bail Act 1976 to remand an individual for their own protection.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Following a commitment from the Government earlier this year, MoJ is reviewing the use of the power in the Bail Act 1976 which allows a court to remand a defendant for their own protection. This work is ongoing, and we are on track to complete our review into uses of the power by the end of the year.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps the Government is taking to provide alternative accommodation for people placed in prison for their own protection under the Bail Act 1976.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Community accommodation is already available for defendants who may otherwise be remanded into custody. Approved Premises and the Bail Accommodation Support Services both provide a community-based alternative to custody for specific cohorts of individuals who are unconvicted or unsentenced. For high risk bailees, Approved Premises provide temporary accommodation with enhanced supervision and rehabilitative support.
The court’s decision to remand an individual in custody for their own protection is used as a last resort and out of concern for the defendant, where circumstances are such that a defendant would come to harm if released into the community and there is no other suitable option available to the courts.
Following a commitment from the Government earlier this year, MoJ is reviewing the use of the power to remand for own protection. This work is ongoing.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government has central funding for support services for people who have been placed in prisons for their own protection under the Bail Act 1976.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) does not provide central funding for support services specifically for individuals who have been remanded into custody for their own protection under the Bail Act 1976.
Individuals remanded into custody (including those remanded for their own protection) have access to standard support services within prisons which may be relevant to their needs, such as the keyworker scheme and the Samaritans Listener scheme. Prisoners on remand also have additional rights and privileges beyond those afforded to sentenced prisoners, including being able to send and receive additional letters, to access additional visits and, within reasonable expectations, to have limited contact with convicted prisoners, including not sharing a cell with a sentenced prisoner, unless they choose.
Following a commitment from the Government earlier this year, we are reviewing the use of the power in the Bail Act 1976 to remand an individual for their own protection. This work is ongoing.