Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Maria Caulfield and Lucy Frazer

Tuesday 6th March 2018 Commons Chamber

[Lucy Frazer]

Advice can already be taken through a telephone hotline in relation to housing. Legal aid is available where homelessness is a risk, and debt leads to homelessness. A whole variety of early legal advice is available through legal aid at the moment, but as the hon. Lady will know, we are conducting a review of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, and this issue will be considered.

[Maria Caulfield (Lewes) (Con)]

18. What recent steps his Department has taken to increase family contact for prisoners.

--- Later in debate ---

[Lucy Frazer]

The Department is responsible for upholding the law, and it does so. As for the specific issue of refunds, the Department has done a great deal of work in trying to explain to interested bodies how they can make a refund. It has written to Citizens Advice, the Law Society, the Bar Council and the Free Representation Unit. New figures will be published on 8 March. If people do not receive refunds, we will continue to liaise with them.

[Maria Caulfield (Lewes) (Con)]

T8. What percentage of inmates currently have literacy problems, and what solutions are the Government coming up with to tackle those problems?