Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government collects evidence on abuse of the civil damages system by people involved in terrorism-related activity; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The Government estimates fewer than 50 claims have been brought in the last ten years which would be likely to generate an application made under the reforms proposed in the National Security Bill currently before Parliament to reduce, freeze or forfeit civil damages to claimants involved in terrorism.
We are legislating to reduce the risk that large sums of money will be paid out in awards of damages to claimants where there is a real risk of their using it to support acts of terror.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2021 to Question 67051, what progress he has made in reducing the delays at Westferry Family Court; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
Work continues to be undertaken on the redistribution of work to help support East London Family Court. Capacity across the estate is being fully utilised and Financial Remedy and Public Law cases continue to be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice and the Nightingale Court at Petty France. Pilot Practice Directorate 36Q has also been implemented at East London Family Court (New Pilot Practice Direction 36Q came into force from 23 April 2020. Pilot PD36Q modifies PD12B (Child Arrangements Programme) to provide temporary local flexibility over procedures for progressing applications for Child Arrangements Orders).
As a result of the continuing exceptionally high receipts of Private Law work at East London Family Court, along with the continuing pressures on judicial recruitment and Cafcass resource, it has been agreed with the Senior Judiciary that some of this work will initially be heard at Central and West London Family Courts with a longer plan of transferring some of the East London postcodes to these courts to balance the waiting times across the region.
The impact of the rebalancing exercise is unlikely to show for several months due to the nature of how cases are listed. However, despite continuing pressures, outstanding cases remain fairly static with 2299 at the end of October and 2251 at the end of December.
OPT Report - FamilyMan Private Law Workload and Performance (BY CASE)
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the impact on (a) children and (b) families of the seven month delay in hearing cases at Westferry Family Court.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The administration and senior judiciary are working closely together to increase the sitting capacity across the East London Cluster which comprises of East London Family Court, Croydon County and Bromley County Court and to re-balance the volumes of work across the Region.
In recognition of the pressures on family work across the East London Estate, a Nightingale Court was created at Petty France with four additional courts. Additional courts are also being utilised in Stratford Magistrates and the Royal Courts of Justice.
The increased use of digital hearings in family have allowed the court to utilise more part-time judiciary and increase the number of hearings heard on a remote basis, and the introduction of PD36Q* is enabling the court to progress private law cases through the system more quickly.
*PD36Q New Pilot Practice Direction 36Q came into force from 23 April 2020. Pilot PD36Q modifies PD12B (Child Arrangements Programme) to provide temporary local flexibility over procedures for progressing applications for Child Arrangements Orders.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to reduce the delays in hearing cases at Westferry Family Court.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The administration and senior judiciary are working closely together to increase the sitting capacity across the East London Cluster which comprises of East London Family Court, Croydon County and Bromley County Court and to re-balance the volumes of work across the Region.
In recognition of the pressures on family work across the East London Estate, a Nightingale Court was created at Petty France with four additional courts. Additional courts are also being utilised in Stratford Magistrates and the Royal Courts of Justice.
The increased use of digital hearings in family have allowed the court to utilise more part-time judiciary and increase the number of hearings heard on a remote basis, and the introduction of PD36Q* is enabling the court to progress private law cases through the system more quickly.
*PD36Q New Pilot Practice Direction 36Q came into force from 23 April 2020. Pilot PD36Q modifies PD12B (Child Arrangements Programme) to provide temporary local flexibility over procedures for progressing applications for Child Arrangements Orders.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that out-of-country appeals from Ghana are conducted fairly and without prejudice to an appellant’s case; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
Proceedings in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) are managed in accordance with the Chamber Rules which provide flexibility for dealing with individual cases. The Rules give the Tribunal Judge wide case management powers in order to ensure that cases are dealt with fairly and justly whether in country or out of country.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many immigration appeals are pending in ETS-linked cases.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
Information on ETS-linked immigration appeals is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many immigration appeals were (a) submitted and (b) determined in each of the last five years in relation to Home Office refusal, curtailment and removal decisions in ETS-linked cases.
Answered by Lucy Frazer
The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of education programmes in prisons are funded by charitable sources.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The Department does not hold this information centrally, obtaining it would require contacting and collating information from all prisons in England and Wales, which could only be done at disproportionate cost. We very much value engagement by charities and social enterprises and expect both the opportunities for this key sector to engage with the prison education agenda, and the practical ability of it to do so, to increase significantly when our reforms come fully into effect from April 2019. These reforms are empowering governors to determine their curriculum, how it is organised and arranged, and who delivers it. Our new prison education Dynamic Purchasing System, which already contains more than 170 suppliers wishing to deliver education services in prisons, will help governors shape an education service that reflects the particular needs of their establishment. |
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of education programmes in prisons are delivered by charities and social enterprises.
Answered by Rory Stewart
The Department does not hold this information centrally, obtaining it would require contacting and collating information from all prisons in England and Wales, which could only be done at disproportionate cost. We very much value engagement by charities and social enterprises and expect both the opportunities for this key sector to engage with the prison education agenda, and the practical ability of it to do so, to increase significantly when our reforms come fully into effect from April 2019. These reforms are empowering governors to determine their curriculum, how it is organised and arranged, and who delivers it. Our new prison education Dynamic Purchasing System, which already contains more than 170 suppliers wishing to deliver education services in prisons, will help governors shape an education service that reflects the particular needs of their establishment. |