Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to make the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) process (1) better known, and (2) easier for people to understand.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
In dealing with applications, appeals and references relating to disputes over property and land and as part of the Unified Tribunal System, the Property Chamber has been specifically designed to provide a more effective, accessible and lower cost alternative to court. The procedural rules, which govern how cases are handled, require that the Tribunal deals with cases proportionately and that all parties are able to fully participate in the proceedings.
Information about the Property Chamber, including guidance on how to make an appeal or reference, is available on the GOV.UK website. All tribunal processes are kept under review, but there are no current plans to revise those of the Property Chamber.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the value to (1) individuals, and (2) families, of pro bono legal work undertaken by lawyers.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice has not specifically assessed the value of pro bono work to either family or individuals. However, research conducted by KPMG in 2017 indicates that the pro bono time dedicated by legal professionals was worth approximately £439 million in 2017. Additionally, the Bar Council suggest that 4,618 barristers have done pro bono work in the last year.
The Government highly values the legal sector’s contributions through pro bono work and the benefits this work provides.
Asked by: Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prosecutions have been brought under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 for (1) harassment, and (2) unlawful eviction, by each police force in England and Wales in 2020 and 2021.
Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes information on the number of prosecutions, for the years 2017 to 2021, in England and Wales, in the Outcomes by Offence data tool 2021 (MS Excel Spreadsheet, 21 MB). An extract of this tool is provided alongside this response with the requested figures in. Instructions on how to access this data are also included below.
In the Outcomes by Offence data tool:
Select the ‘Prosecutions and Convictions’ worksheet.
Filter by HO offence code and select the following offences:
08701 - Unlawful eviction of occupier (Contrary to section 1(2) and (4) of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977)
08702 - Unlawful harassment of occupier (Contrary to section 1(3A) and (4) of the Protection from Eviction Act 1977)
Move the Police Force Area filer to the rows area for a breakdown by PFA.
The following HO offence code may also be of interest:
08703 - Protection of occupiers against eviction and harassment (S.210 Housing Act 2004 and S.3 Caravan Sites Act 1968)
If the police were to charge a different offence, such as common assault, that would not be included in the attached table.