Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2022 to Question 94497, whether the Government plans to ensure large font and easy read formats are available immediately and not only upon request; how many large print versions have been requested; how long does it take to process these requests; and whether there are other methods of accessibility available.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Government's Service Standard (https://www.gov.uk/service-manual/service-standard) guides government teams as to how they should design and produce content providing information regarding public services. Departments are required to make sure that all information is accessible across all channels, including online, phone, paper and face to face.
For all consultations, the department gives due consideration to the needs of the audience group and we take whatever action we can to improve reach and accessibility, including by following best practice through provision of accessible formats for consultation documents.
For the Victims Bill consultation, a large print version of the consultation document was available from publication on request; we also distributed it to key partners in the Victims sector in December. A British Sign Language version has also been developed and will be available shortly. A HTML version has gone live this week.
The number of large print versions requested for all published documents is not held centrally.
The standard accessible consultation format that Ministry of Justice uses for publications online is an ‘accessible PDF’. Accessible PDFs are readable by people using screen readers. This is made available alongside the online version on our consultation hub which meets the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines V2.1 AA standard.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many times he has visited a (a) secure training centre, (b) young offender institution (c) secure children's home; and if he will provide the dates of each of those visits.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Deputy Prime Minister and I have been and are committed to visiting establishments across the youth estate in the coming months, subject to the “National Framework” which controls measures for preventing Covid transmission.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to make accessible versions of consultation documents immediately available instead of people having to request large font and easy read formats.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
For all consultations, the Department gives due consideration to the needs of the audience group and we take whatever action we can to improve reach and accessibility, including by following best practice through provision of accessible formats for consultation documents.
We have worked to ensure that the recently published Victims' Bill Consultation is as accessible as possible and that we enable the voices of stakeholders and victims to be heard. This has included making a large print version of the document available from launch (upon request), which we also shared with our key partners in the victims sector in December to strengthen availability further. We are also directly engaging with victims and specialist victim support organisations during the consultation period to overcome any issues of accessibility and maximize the opportunity for engagement.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what engagement he has had with relevant stakeholders on his Department's consultation on Delivering justice for victims.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
We recognise the importance of engaging and hearing from a range of interested groups on this important topic and this consultation is the result of engagement the department has undertaken over the past six months. This includes virtual roundtable events in August, fortnightly calls with the sector, frequent discussions with the Victims’ Commissioner and other key voices in this space.
We want to deliver improvements for victims through legislation as soon as possible, which is why we are consulting for eight weeks. There will be further opportunity for engagement on developed proposals, as we plan to introduce a draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny.
During this time, we plan to hold engagement sessions with victims, and organisations that support them, such as frontline practitioners, and those who commission and provide support services. We will also be meeting parliamentarians with an interest. These events will provide further opportunity to canvass views, and to speak to groups directly affected by the consultation. We will continue to engage with the wider sector through the existing fortnightly calls.
We aim to publish consultation responses three months after a consultation has closed. It will be published at: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason his Department's consultation on Delivering justice for victims is not open for longer than eight weeks; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending that timescale.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
We recognise the importance of engaging and hearing from a range of interested groups on this important topic and this consultation is the result of engagement the department has undertaken over the past six months. This includes virtual roundtable events in August, fortnightly calls with the sector, frequent discussions with the Victims’ Commissioner and other key voices in this space.
We want to deliver improvements for victims through legislation as soon as possible, which is why we are consulting for eight weeks. There will be further opportunity for engagement on developed proposals, as we plan to introduce a draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny.
During this time, we plan to hold engagement sessions with victims, and organisations that support them, such as frontline practitioners, and those who commission and provide support services. We will also be meeting parliamentarians with an interest. These events will provide further opportunity to canvass views, and to speak to groups directly affected by the consultation. We will continue to engage with the wider sector through the existing fortnightly calls.
We aim to publish consultation responses three months after a consultation has closed. It will be published at: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which organisations the Government plans to engage with during the Victims' Bill consultation; what the timeframe is for that consultation; and what the timeframe is for the publication of its results.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
We recognise the importance of engaging and hearing from a range of interested groups on this important topic and this consultation is the result of engagement the department has undertaken over the past six months. This includes virtual roundtable events in August, fortnightly calls with the sector, frequent discussions with the Victims’ Commissioner and other key voices in this space.
We want to deliver improvements for victims through legislation as soon as possible, which is why we are consulting for eight weeks. There will be further opportunity for engagement on developed proposals, as we plan to introduce a draft Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny.
During this time, we plan to hold engagement sessions with victims, and organisations that support them, such as frontline practitioners, and those who commission and provide support services. We will also be meeting parliamentarians with an interest. These events will provide further opportunity to canvass views, and to speak to groups directly affected by the consultation. We will continue to engage with the wider sector through the existing fortnightly calls.
We aim to publish consultation responses three months after a consultation has closed. It will be published at: https://consult.justice.gov.uk/.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the timetable is for the publication of the outcome of the Domestic homicide sentencing review.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The first stage of the review, an analysis of data and relevant sentencing remarks for cases of domestic homicide tried between 2018-2020, has already been completed. Clare Wade QC, the independent expert who is conducting the second and final stage of the review, is expected to produce her report, including potential options for reform, for the Secretary of State before the end of the year.
Her report, together with the findings of the initial case review, will be published shortly thereafter.
The Terms of Reference for the Domestic Homicide Sentencing Review have now been published and can be accessed here: Guidance overview: Domestic Homicide Sentencing Review: Terms of Reference - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure delays in family courts are not used to further financially control a former partner.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This government is determined to protect and support the victims of domestic abuse and their children better. We recognise the additional pressures that the family justice system has faced since the Covid-19 pandemic, and the impact this has had on children and families who use the family courts. Cases with the most significant safeguarding issues remain our priority, and where suitable, cases are being heard remotely to continue maximising our use of our estate.
HMCTS has been prioritising certain cases for processing. The ‘highest priority’ category in private law includes urgent applications in children cases, domestic abuse injunctions and urgent applications in financial remedy cases and decrees absolute. When an application for a domestic abuse injunction is received, there is a requirement for court staff to refer the application to a judge within three hours of receipt and inform the applicant or their legal representative of the next steps.
This year, the government will be providing around £300m for victim and witness support services. This includes £800k funding per year to the FLOWS project, run by RCJ Advice, to provide free legal support to victims of domestic abuse who wish to apply for an emergency protective order from the courts.
Where there are divorce proceedings, either party may apply for a financial order at any time and do not need to wait until the divorce is finalised to seek financial freedom. A respondent to the divorce proceedings can ask the court to delay the divorce until the court is satisfied with their financial situation.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure the delays in family courts do not result in further abuse of former partners.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
This government is determined to protect and support the victims of domestic abuse and their children better. We recognise the additional pressures that the family justice system has faced since the Covid-19 pandemic, and the impact this has had on children and families who use the family courts. Cases with the most significant safeguarding issues remain our priority, and where suitable, cases are being heard remotely to continue maximising our use of our estate.
HMCTS has been prioritising certain cases for processing. The ‘highest priority’ category in private law includes urgent applications in children cases, domestic abuse injunctions and urgent applications in financial remedy cases and decrees absolute. When an application for a domestic abuse injunction is received, there is a requirement for court staff to refer the application to a judge within three hours of receipt and inform the applicant or their legal representative of the next steps.
This year, the government will be providing around £300m for victim and witness support services. This includes £800k funding per year to the FLOWS project, run by RCJ Advice, to provide free legal support to victims of domestic abuse who wish to apply for an emergency protective order from the courts.
Where there are divorce proceedings, either party may apply for a financial order at any time and do not need to wait until the divorce is finalised to seek financial freedom. A respondent to the divorce proceedings can ask the court to delay the divorce until the court is satisfied with their financial situation.
Asked by: Anna McMorrin (Labour - Cardiff North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to (a) recruit and (b) retain prison officers and support staff in youth custody settings.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Youth Custody Service (YCS) has bespoke recruitment material that aligns with our vision of delivering outstanding children’s services in secure settings and further professionalising the workforce. Over 150 new entrant youth justice workers (YJW) in a young adult setting have commenced employment in the YCS so far this year, with a further 70 to start prior to April 2022.
Since introducing the youth justice specialist role, we have provided funding for every prison officer in the youth secure estate to take up a qualification in youth justice. As of August, there were 249 youth justice specialist officers already in post, having completed the qualification. A further 260 staff are signed up or undertaking the learning, with the next cohort due to start in October 2022, with up to 110 more frontline staff participating. We have continuously reviewed this development offer and have recently introduced a new apprenticeship for our newly recruited YJW officers.
We have reviewed staff turnover in public sites in the youth secure estate, focussing on frontline positions from entry grade YJWs to custodial managers, with an emphasis on resignations. Improvements to inductions and support for new entrants is now in place to help ensure a supported, resilient, and effective workforce.