Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has conducted of the potential effect of the closure of 86 courts and tribunals in England and Wales on access to justice by people in low-income households.

Before making any decision to close a court or tribunal, we considered carefully the effect of closures on all court and tribunal users.

The court estate is underused and needs to be updated. Last year, nearly half of our courtrooms were used for less than half of their ordinary sitting time. The Government is committed to modernising the way justice is accessed and delivered, putting users at the heart of the system.

To ensure that access to justice is maintained, we are committed to providing alternative ways for users to access our services, including the use of other civic buildings for video links or hearings.

The consultation response is available online at www.gov.uk/moj.