Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shailesh Vara and Charlie Elphicke

Wednesday 20th June 2018 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vara]

The hon. Gentleman will be aware that we do not give a running commentary on all the meetings we have, but he should be aware that there is certainly a backstop and it will last until the end of December 2021.

[Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Ind)]

rose—

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shailesh Vara and Charlie Elphicke

Tuesday 17th March 2015 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vara]

For the benefit of the hon. Lady, let me say once again that if it were not for the Government whom she supported causing the mess that they did, we would not have been obliged to make the cuts we have had to make. Despite making them, we still have one of the most generous legal aid budgets in the world.

[Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Con)]

Can the Minister tell the House how our legal aid budget compares internationally?

[Mr Vara]

As I said, we compare very favourably internationally. We have one of the most generous legal aid budgets in the world, and that is after the cuts have come through.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shailesh Vara and Charlie Elphicke

Tuesday 16th December 2014 Commons Chamber

[Mr Vara]

The hon. Gentleman talks about being sensible. He will be aware that it was only very recently that the convention was amended by the Brighton declaration, which was welcomed by all the countries concerned and made sure that nation states had a greater say in their own cases. That has to be good because it means that Strasbourg can deal with the urgent cases that should be dealt with there rather than having a backlog—there is a huge queue—because nation states cannot deal with a lot of the cases that should be dealt with domestically.

[Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Con)]

May I tell the Minister that my constituents in Dover and Deal feel that the level of immigration and asylum appeals that are being made undermines our border security? They want to see human rights reform to ensure that our borders are safer and more secure.

[Mr Vara]

As I said, that is a debate that we shall have very forcefully with the British people and the other parties in the months ahead.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Shailesh Vara and Charlie Elphicke

Tuesday 4th February 2014 Commons Chamber

[Charlie Elphicke (Dover) (Con)]

12. What assessment he has made of options for reform of real property boundary disputes; and if he will make a statement.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Shailesh Vara)]

The Ministry of Justice is in the process of completing the initial scoping study on the issue of property boundary disputes announced by my hon. Friend the Member for Maidstone and The Weald (Mrs Grant) in February last year in her reply to my hon. Friend’s written questions on this subject. The Department will publish its findings in due course, when Ministers have considered the options.

[Charlie Elphicke]

I thank the Minister for that answer. Property boundary disputes are stressful and cause a lot of heartache, and cost a lot of money unnecessarily. May I urge the Minister to move ahead on this and consider introducing reform proposals to this House?

[Mr Vara]

I agree with my hon. Friend that boundary disputes can often be bitter, protracted and indeed expensive. I can assure him that the Department is working at pace to come up with the conclusions of the scoping study, and we hope to report on that as soon as is practicable.