Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a registered defendant intermediary scheme, similar to that for witnesses, to support the duty to make reasonable adjustments and fair trial rights, as recommended by the Law Commission.

The Ministry of Justice is currently conducting a review of intermediaries across the justice system. This includes an assessment of the feasibility of implementing the recommendations of the Law Commission on providing intermediaries to defendants, and how such provision might be organised and delivered. In the meantime, courts can continue to use their common law powers to order the use of intermediaries for defendants, in the interests of a fair trial.