Oral Answers to Questions

Baroness Clark of Kilwinning Excerpts

Tuesday 23rd November 2010 Commons Chamber

[Mr Djanogly]

I refer the hon. Gentleman to the consultation document, which has clearly got a section on very high-cost cases, and on which we have significant proposals. More particularly, the Labour manifesto said it wanted to cut legal aid, so if he is going to talk about our cuts, perhaps he might like to say where he would be making cuts in legal aid.

[Katy Clark (North Ayrshire and Arran) (Lab)]

11. What recent discussions he has had on the provision of services to people who have experienced trauma as a result of a miscarriage of justice.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Crispin Blunt)]

We want to help people who have suffered trauma as a result of a miscarriage of justice to access support that ought already to be available, for instance through the national health service. We will work with the Department of Health, other Departments and the voluntary sector to that end.

[Katy Clark]

I thank the Minister for that answer. I recently met the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation, as constituents of mine have been affected by having been wrongly imprisoned for lengthy periods. I understand that under the previous Government, the Justice Ministry was looking at how better to provide support services to such people. Is that work still going on, and will the Minister be willing to meet me and other Members with constituents who have been similarly affected, because we are not dealing with this issue well enough at present?

[Mr Blunt]

I am afraid that we have concluded that, due to the extremely challenging financial climate, it no longer makes sense to go ahead with the work started by the last Government on identifying the unmet medical needs of those who have suffered a miscarriage of justice because there are not going to be additional funds to meet those needs.