Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans the Government has to bring forward legislative proposals to introduce statutory access rights for grandparents to their grandchildren.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government understands the difficulties that some grandparents face in continuing relationships with their grandchildren following disputes arising from parental separation. We also recognise the importance of ensuring that the child’s welfare is paramount in court decisions regarding future arrangements for them following parental separation.
We wish to understand the outcome of the President of the Family Division’s consultation – which concluded last year - on recommendations for reforming how child arrangements cases are dealt with by the family court before deciding whether any specific proposals are needed in respect of child arrangements and grandparents.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of climate change on the work of his Department; and what steps he is taking in response to that effect.
Answered by Chris Philp - Minister of State (Home Office)
Achieving net zero is a priority for the whole of government, which is why the Prime Minister is chairing a new Cabinet Committee on Climate Change to drive action across all sectors of the economy and demonstrate the UK’s global leadership as we prepare to host the crucial COP26 talks in Glasgow in November.
The Ministry of Justice takes climate change very seriously and is committed to tackling the impact of this on its operations by collaborating across government to adapt and be resilient to the inevitable effects of climate change on its work.
As the second largest central government contributor of greenhouse gas emissions, we are very clear that reducing our emissions is a key priority. We have already reduced our emissions by 38% since 2009/10 and reduced our energy bill by £12m/year since 2014-15, enabling more funding for frontline services. The department is also currently discussing a new emissions reduction target for 2020 to 2025 with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
The Ministry of Justice is developing its Climate Change Adaptation Strategy to prepare for the risks associated with, and impacts, of climate change on our estate, people, and operations.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to grant legal recognition for humanist marriages in England and Wales.
Answered by Wendy Morton
The Law Commission review that the Government announced this June is a fundamental review of the law on how and where people can legally marry in England and Wales. As part of that review, the Government invited the Law Commission to make recommendations about how marriage by humanist and other non-religious belief organisations could be incorporated into a revised or new scheme for all marriages that is simple, fair and consistent. The Government will consider the Law Commission’s recommendations.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many judgments in cases related to debt courts have made in each of the last 10 years broken down by (a) the age group of defendants and (b) the specific debt-related offence.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The information requested about the number of court judgments related to debt in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the age group of defendants, is not held centrally.
The information requested about the number of court judgments related to debt in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the specific debt, could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is a requirement for an unredacted transcript of a civil court hearing to be made available to the (a) complainant and (b) respondent.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Civil Procedure Rules, which govern procedures in the civil courts, provide that a transcript of the recording of any hearing should be made available to a party to the proceedings or hearing on application to the court, upon payment.
Where the person requiring the transcript is not a party to the proceedings and the hearing, or any part of it was held in private, the decision as to whether to provide the transcript is a matter for the judge.
All transcripts will be unredacted unless directed by the judge.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the guidance issued on the Victim's Code requires the reading out of victim personal statements in open court.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
There is no requirement for victims, or anyone else on their behalf, to read out a victim personal statement in open court. There is a presumption that a victim should be allowed to read their statement in full if they wish to do so. However, whether the statement is read in open court, who reads it, and which sections of the statement are read, is at the discretion of the trial judge. A Joint Agency Guide to the Victim Personal Statement provides practical advice for criminal justice practitioners who might be involved in the process. It is publicly available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/victim-personal-statement |
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many convictions there have been under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in relation to arrangements where sex has been requested in return for accommodation in the City of Bristol.
Answered by Rory Stewart
It is not possible to identify from centrally held data the number of offenders convicted for arrangements where sex had been requested in return for accommodation in Bristol under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, as this particular offence cannot be disaggregated from the broader offence of ‘sexual offences’. Additionally, any data held at a court level refers to where the defendant was dealt with rather than where the offence was committed.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will ensure that any unresolved disputes around General Data Protection Regulation implementation will not prevent National Association of Child Contact Centres accredited support contact centres from receiving grants from the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in 2019.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
While the Government has no overall responsibility for funding child contact centre provision, the Child and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) provides small value grants of up to £3,000 in total per annum to assist individual NACCC-accredited child contact centres run by the voluntary sector (i.e. supported centres), where such organisations seek financial assistance.
General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) certification is one of the standards which must be met for NACCC accreditation. Cafcass is able to fund supported child contact centres which achieve GDPR certification. Those working towards certification are eligible to apply for funding and will receive this once certification is achieved and confirmed by NACCC. NACCC reports that the majority of supported child contact centres are already compliant or are working towards this.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when his Department plans to issue a public consultation on the legal rights of grandparents to access to their grandchildren after estrangement between grandparents and parents.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government is keen to take steps wherever possible to reduce conflict within families when relationships come to an end.
I am considering what measures Government could take to help grandchildren maintain contact with grandparents following parental separation and will bring forward proposals once I have explored the issues more fully.
Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of adequacy of funding for supported contact centres by Cafcass.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
The Government is not responsible for funding the child contact centre sector. However, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass) provides small value annual grants to supported child contact centres run by the voluntary sector, where such centres seek financial assistance. This funding not only helps such centres to remain viable but may be used to develop the quality of provision offered.
The overall level of funding available to supported child centres is dependent on demand but has remained broadly stable since 2014/15. For 2018/19, individual grants are available up to an initial limit of £2,500 which can be increased to £3,000 where appropriate.