Contributions
428 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDGrandparents: Statutory Right to AccessMy hon. Friend might want to take up the question of an older persons commissioner with the Prime Minister because I suspect that is well above my pay grade. On access for…16 May 2023HANSARDTrial Processes: Efficiency and EconomyWe are committed to working closely with the judiciary and other partners to improve the efficiency of the criminal courts and family courts, and this includes the judicial-led…16 May 2023HANSARDTrial Processes: Efficiency and EconomyMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. For instance, for online civil money claims the times for issuing, responding and hearing dates are down to 9.4 days from 25 days, while…16 May 2023HANSARDTrial Processes: Efficiency and EconomyThe hon. Lady is quite right to raise that point. The Department and the judiciary appreciate the sensitivity of such cases to ensure that the families of victims—and the victims,…16 May 2023HANSARDTrial Processes: Efficiency and EconomySpring 2024. If the hon. Lady would like to write with the details of the case, I can find out if there are specific reasons why it has been delayed. As I say, there can be a…16 May 2023HANSARDCriminal Court BacklogsWe appreciate all the issues raised by my hon. Friend, who has been a long-term campaigner on family law. I guarantee that either a senior official or a Minister will attend that…16 May 2023HANSARDProtection of Children: Family CourtsWe have introduced a number of measures to improve the experience of victims of domestic abuse and their children following the final report of the expert panel on harm in the…16 May 2023HANSARDProtection of Children: Family CourtsAs the hon. Gentleman says, work is under way. The review has to be carefully considered, because of the complexities of parental involvement, to ensure that the rights of the…16 May 2023HANSARDRetained EU Law: Acts of the Scottish ParliamentThe Ministry of Justice has been working closely with the Scottish Government and other devolved Administrations to consider the implications of the Retained EU Law (Revocation…16 May 2023HANSARDCriminal Court BacklogsThe outstanding case load at Preston Crown court stood at 1,454 cases at the end of December 2022. We are taking action across the criminal justice system to bring the caseload…16 May 2023HANSARDRetained EU Law: Acts of the Scottish ParliamentWith regard to this specific Bill, given the announcement last week, I do not believe that there is any infringement on the Scottish competency.16 May 2023HANSARDRetained EU Law: Acts of the Scottish ParliamentI will have to look carefully at the references that the hon. Lady has made, but, as far as I am aware, the items of retained EU law in the Ministry of Justice’s remit that are…16 May 2023HANSARDExtended Family Guardianship: Legal AidWe laid a family statutory instrument in February this year which, among other things, brings special guardianship orders in private law proceedings into the scope of legal aid,…16 May 2023HANSARDExtended Family Guardianship: Legal AidThe rights of grandparents have risen up the agenda considerably over the last few years. Both colleagues who have spoken on this issue today, including my hon. Friend, make some…16 May 2023HANSARDExtended Family Guardianship: Legal AidI think, actually, that it was the Labour party who said that it was going to “derail the gravy train of legal aid”. This Government have continued to fund legal aid, with £1.2…16 May 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe number is roughly 9,135, which is about 15% of the backlog. The cases for which all the documentation has been received will take six to eight weeks to complete. We have…16 May 2023HANSARDTopical QuestionsAs we have said in earlier answers, we are trying to ensure that the outstanding caseload continues to diminish by continuing to increase the judiciary. There will be 1,000 more…16 May 2023HANSARDLegal AidThe hon. Gentleman makes a good point. The Legal Aid Agency will always monitor cases where we get repeat applications for funding to ensure that any application is warranted…28 Mar 2023HANSARDCourt Proceedings: Social MediaWe have taken steps to mitigate the risk that social media poses to court cases following a call for evidence in 2019. Arrangements are in place with social media companies to…28 Mar 2023HANSARDLegal AidI am aware of the concern that Members have about the use of legal aid in such cases, but I can reassure my hon. Friend that the Legal Aid Agency reviews all cases to ensure that…28 Mar 2023