Contributions
394 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDFamily Courts: Rape and Domestic Abuse SurvivorsWe are determined to improve the family justice response to vulnerable parents and children, including victims of rape and domestic abuse. An expert panel has been established to…09 Jul 2019HANSARDLaw CentresA few weeks ago I visited my local law centre in Blackpool, the Fylde Coast Advice and Legal Centre, and saw the excellent work that it does. The centre that the hon. Lady…09 Jul 2019HANSARDLaw CentresWe recognise the valuable work that law centres do in local communities throughout the country and support them in that work through both grant funding and legal aid contracts.09 Jul 2019HANSARDLegal Advice DesertsAs we survey the decaying embers of a dying regime reaching its inevitable conclusion, it is good to see the shadow Secretary of State showing that he is waving and not drowning,…09 Jul 2019HANSARDLegal Advice DesertsI certainly hear what my hon. Friend says. Our thoughts will always be with those who have lost loved ones in any terror attack. Our review of legal aid shows that bereaved…09 Jul 2019HANSARDLegal Advice DesertsI anticipated that the hon. Gentleman might ask about his local situation. Although a contract was awarded in Ipswich in the last tender, we are waiting for the provider to advise…09 Jul 2019HANSARDLegal Advice DesertsAfter the latest Legal Aid Agency civil tender, the number of offices providing legal aid services has increased by 7% in the areas of housing and debt. The Legal Aid Agency…09 Jul 2019HANSARDBenefit Application Appeal Tribunal HearingsI am presuming that the hon. Gentleman is encouraging me to have more tribunals in Wick, as opposed to decision makers. Since I have 3,000 employed in my own constituency making…09 Jul 2019HANSARDBenefit Application Appeal Tribunal HearingsI was almost disappointed that my hon. Friend did not phrase his first question better, because I was going to go on to tell him that in Kettering, the waiting time was actually…09 Jul 2019HANSARDCourts Digitisation ProgrammeWhen I speak to most sensible people across the entire justice system, there is a recognition that our justice system has to modernise. If we do not transform or modernise the…09 Jul 2019HANSARDCourts Digitisation ProgrammeI very much hear what the hon. Gentleman is telling me. He will recall a debate that we had in this Chamber a couple of weeks ago on that point. We have no plans to close any…09 Jul 2019HANSARDCourts Digitisation ProgrammeMy right hon. Friend has cleverly anticipated Question 15. I have heard from Members across the House the deep frustration they feel regarding the current issues in the probate…09 Jul 2019HANSARDBenefit Application Appeal Tribunal HearingsBetween January and March 2019, the average waiting time for benefit appeals in Northamptonshire was 21 weeks. In England, it was 33 weeks.09 Jul 2019HANSARDCourts Digitisation ProgrammeI am grateful for the hon. Lady’s question. I am intuitively sympathetic to all the points that she makes. I am very clear that there should always remain a telephone service, a…09 Jul 2019HANSARDCourts Digitisation ProgrammeEnhancing access to justice is at the heart of our £1 billion court reform programme. Our new online district services provide an easily accessible, intuitive route for people to…09 Jul 2019HANSARD Serco Justice SystemWe have absolutely no indication at all that the fine has had any impact on Serco’s ability to deliver its current contracts to the Government.04 Jul 2019HANSARD Serco Justice SystemI always have a regard for the hon. Gentleman, who is a diligent and effective Member of this House, but I have to disagree with him on this occasion. The Opposition seem to have…04 Jul 2019HANSARD Serco Justice SystemI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his question. The role of the Crown representative is relatively new, having been introduced under this Government. It continues to take…04 Jul 2019HANSARD Serco Justice SystemThe hon. Gentleman raises an issue of which I personally have no knowledge within my own Department, but I am more than happy to offer to raise it with the relevant Government…04 Jul 2019HANSARD Serco Justice SystemI am sure that there are few individuals in the House better qualified than the hon. Lady to assess the role of these contracts across Government as a whole, given her work on the…04 Jul 2019