Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Justice

Oral Answers to Questions

Chris Law Excerpts
Tuesday 26th March 2024

(8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Edward Argar Portrait Edward Argar
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It is always a pleasure to face the gentle barbs of the hon. Gentleman, whom I have known for a long time. As I have made very clear on a previous occasion in the House, and indeed just a few moments ago, we consider that an annualised publication of these statistics is the most appropriate approach, in line with the publication of similar statistics such as those relating to deaths of offenders in the community.

Chris Law Portrait Chris Law (Dundee West) (SNP)
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12. What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of legal aid for immigration cases.

Mike Freer Portrait The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mike Freer)
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The Legal Aid Agency monitors the provision of immigration legal aid and takes whatever actions are operationally available to it to ensure a supply of providers.

Chris Law Portrait Chris Law
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I was hoping for an answer but did not get one, so let me try this. While we all desperately want to see the Tories’ asylum backlog cleared, this effort must be well funded and must ensure access to justice. What we have instead is an under-resourced bureaucracy and a push to make rushed asylum decisions, combined with severe difficulty in accessing immigration legal aid, and as a result thousands of asylum seekers have effectively been denied the right to legal representation. Why do the UK Government stand alone in not recognising the enormous crisis in immigration legal aid?

Mike Freer Portrait Mike Freer
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In fact, the Government spent £44 million on immigration legal aid in 2022-23. We have increased the hourly rate for those undertaking this kind of work, and we are looking at remote access and payment for travelling. All those steps we have taken to raise the level of funding in this important area. I have to say, however, that I think it takes a particular bit of brass neck for the SNP to lecture us on the funding of legal aid. I refer the hon. Gentleman to Scottishlegal.com, which has commented on how the SNP has decimated legal aid in Scotland.