Oral Answers to Questions

Geraint Davies Excerpts

Tuesday 31st January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Clarke]

In many cases, a high priority is given to trying to house prisoners in places where they are reasonably in contact with their family and home. Of course, the more pressure the service comes under, the more difficult it is to maintain that, but I am sure it remains an objective of those who allocate prisoners to the correct prison once they receive their sentence.

[Geraint Davies (Swansea West) (Lab/Co-op)]

16. What assessment his Department has made of the effect on women of his proposed changes to legal aid.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Jonathan Djanogly)]

The Government published an equality impact assessment alongside their response to the consultation, which set out the best assessment of the effects on women of the proposed changes to legal aid. This recognised the potential for the reforms to have an impact on women alongside those with other protected characteristics. We have taken the view that any such impacts would be justified in the light of the policy objectives, especially in the context of reducing the deficit.

[Geraint Davies]

The Minister knows that the courts are already in crisis due to a shortage of court and judge time. Will he accept that the removal of legal aid will encourage more and more women to provide their own defence, which will add to the crisis of delays and will mean further delay for children, bringing hardship to families and children?

[Mr Djanogly]

There is no shortage of court time or judge time. I simply do not accept what the hon. Gentleman says.