Asked by: Apsana Begum (Labour - Poplar and Limehouse)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for his policies of the experiences of the criminal justice system of survivors of domestic abuse.
Answered by Laura Farris - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Ministry of Justice) (jointly with Home Office)
In March 2022, we published the cross-Government ‘Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan’, which seeks to transform society’s response to domestic abuse through preventing reoffending, supporting victims, pursuing perpetrators and strengthening the systems processes in place needed to deliver these goals.
To ensure victims are given the support they need, the Government has supported the Domestic Abuse Matters programme which provides specialist domestic abuse training to police forces. We are funding the development of a new module of this training programme, targeted specifically at investigators of domestic abuse offences to enable further improvement in police responses to domestic abuse incidents. A 2020 evaluation of the programme showed a 41% increase in arrests for coercive or controlling behaviour, associated with the training.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) have quadrupled funding for victim and witness support services by 2024/25, up from £41 million in 2009/10. This funding includes £21 million ringfenced per annum for PCCs to commission services supporting victims of sexual violence and domestic abuse. The MoJ are using additional ringfenced funding to increase the number of ISVAs and IDVAs by 300, to over 1,000, by 2024/25 - a 43% increase.
In February 2023, MoJ laid secondary legislation to ensure legal aid will be available for domestic abuse victims seeking a Domestic Abuse Protection Order. The legislation now also allows for more types of evidence to be accepted from victims of domestic abuse, making it easier for victims to evidence their claims and access the support they need.
In March 2023, the Government introduced the Victims and Prisoners Bill to Parliament. Under the Victims’ Code, victims are entitled to have their crime investigated without unjustified delay and to be provided with information about the investigation and prosecution.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will undertake a review of the adequacy of the legislation relating to bystanders and shoplifting.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
The Government is clear that violent and abusive behaviour towards any public-facing worker is never acceptable. We take this issue very seriously and recognise the implications on businesses as well as the victims.
We keep all legislation under review. This Government has recently made significant steps to improve the police response to retail crime, including shoplifting.
In October, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) published the Retail Crime Action Plan. Through this Plan, all police forces in England and Wales have committed to prioritise police attendance at the scene where violence has been used towards shop staff, where an offender has been detained by store security, and where evidence needs to be secured and can only be done by police personnel. Additionally, where CCTV or other digital images are secured, police will run this through the Police National Database to further aid efforts to identify prolific offenders or potentially dangerous individuals. There are no plans to review PACE legislation which makes it legal (as it has been for many decades) for a member of the public to perform a citizens arrest in certain circumstances.
This builds on the commitment made by the NPCC in August 2023 that all police forces across England and Wales will follow up all crimes where there is actionable evidence and the chance of identifying an offender, including shoplifting.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Legal Aid Agency's guidance entitled Housing loss prevention advice service: guidance for service providers, published on 1 August 2023, how many early legal advice claim forms submitted to his Department between 1 August 2023 and 11 December 2023 have been completed by the outcome codes listed in Annex 2.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Volume and value of HLPAS matters forms are published as part of the Legal Aid Agency’s official statistics. The first release of official data is scheduled for 21 December.
The figures will be in table 1.2. The breakdown for starts/completions by type of work etc. will be in the underlying Legal aid statistics data files.
The releases will then follow the publication cycle of quarterly updates and an annual release covering provider level breakdowns. The annual release is published in June of each year.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2023 to Question 1494 on Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service, how much has been paid out to Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service providers for (a) early advice and (b) in court duty assistance as of 11 December 2023.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Volume and value of HLPAS matters forms are published as part of the Legal Aid Agency’s official statistics. The first release of official data is scheduled for 21 December.
The figures will be in table 1.2. The breakdown for starts/completions by type of work etc. will be in the underlying Legal aid statistics data files.
The releases will then follow the publication cycle of quarterly updates and an annual release covering provider level breakdowns. The annual release is published in June of each year.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2023 to Question 1493 on Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service, what was the (a) number and (b) value of claims for in court duty assistance by Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service providers as of 11 December 2023.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Volume and value of HLPAS matters forms are published as part of the Legal Aid Agency’s official statistics. The first release of official data is scheduled for 21 December.
The figures will be in table 1.2. The breakdown for starts/completions by type of work etc. will be in the underlying Legal aid statistics data files.
The releases will then follow the publication cycle of quarterly updates and an annual release covering provider level breakdowns. The annual release is published in June of each year.
Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 16 November 2023 to Question 1492 on Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service, what was the (a) number and (b) value of claims for early advice by Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service providers as of 11 December 2023.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
Volume and value of HLPAS matters forms are published as part of the Legal Aid Agency’s official statistics. The first release of official data is scheduled for 21 December.
The figures will be in table 1.2. The breakdown for starts/completions by type of work etc. will be in the underlying Legal aid statistics data files.
The releases will then follow the publication cycle of quarterly updates and an annual release covering provider level breakdowns. The annual release is published in June of each year.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Autumn Statement 2023, published on 22 November 2023, whether the proposal to end access to legal aid for sanctioned Universal Credit claimants (a) relates to (i) criminal and (ii) civil legal aid and (b) would prevent those people from (A) passporting and (B) accessing all legal aid.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The DWP proposals on the Back to Work Plan will not remove access to legal aid for those Universal Credit (UC) claimants who may be sanctioned. Whilst anyone whose UC claim is closed would no longer be passported through the legal aid means test income assessment, the individual would remain eligible for civil or criminal legal aid, subject to the application of the full means assessment in the usual way. The additional provisions being built into DWP’s policy proposals will also mean that no vulnerable individual would face having their claim closed, thereby providing a further tier of protection for many legal aid user groups, such as the disabled and the homeless.
Over coming months, MoJ officials will be working closely with DWP officials as the policy develops.
Asked by: Andy Slaughter (Labour - Hammersmith)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Autumn Statement 2023, published on 22 November 2023, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposals to remove access to legal aid for Universal Credit claimants who have had an open-ended sanction for over six months on access to justice.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The DWP proposals on the Back to Work Plan will not remove access to legal aid for those Universal Credit (UC) claimants who may be sanctioned. Whilst anyone whose UC claim is closed would no longer be passported through the legal aid means test income assessment, the individual would remain eligible for civil or criminal legal aid, subject to the application of the full means assessment in the usual way. The additional provisions being built into DWP’s policy proposals will also mean that no vulnerable individual would face having their claim closed, thereby providing a further tier of protection for many legal aid user groups, such as the disabled and the homeless.
Over coming months, MoJ officials will be working closely with DWP officials as the policy develops.
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average (a) daily and (b) annual cost of a trial in the crown court was in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The estimated average total cost of a Crown Court sitting day in each of last five financial years is shown in the table below.
The average daily cost of a crown court trial is not separable from average cost of a Crown Court sitting day. However, the full average cost of a trial cannot be reliably quantified from available management information sources.
These costs include all relevant operational costs borne by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), including a proportional share of the cost of operating the court building. However, other HMCTS corporate overheads such as IT and headquarters functions are excluded. Costs borne by other agencies in the criminal justice system (e.g. spending on legal aid, or by the Crown Prosecution Service) are also excluded.
Financial year | Average cost of a Crown Court sitting day (£) |
2018-19 | 2,719 |
2019-20 | 3,215 |
2020-21 | 3,562 |
2021-22 | 3,027 |
2022-23 | 3,036 |
Asked by: Alex Cunningham (Labour - Stockton North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average cost of a sitting day in the crown court was for each of the last five years.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The estimated average total cost of a Crown Court sitting day in each of last five financial years is shown in the table below.
The average daily cost of a crown court trial is not separable from average cost of a Crown Court sitting day. However, the full average cost of a trial cannot be reliably quantified from available management information sources.
These costs include all relevant operational costs borne by HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), including a proportional share of the cost of operating the court building. However, other HMCTS corporate overheads such as IT and headquarters functions are excluded. Costs borne by other agencies in the criminal justice system (e.g. spending on legal aid, or by the Crown Prosecution Service) are also excluded.
Financial year | Average cost of a Crown Court sitting day (£) |
2018-19 | 2,719 |
2019-20 | 3,215 |
2020-21 | 3,562 |
2021-22 | 3,027 |
2022-23 | 3,036 |