Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 29 November 2021 to Question 79500, what plans there are for (a) 30 minute appointments and (b) legal visits subsequent to 30 minute appointments under the Detained Duty Advice Scheme to be conducted (i) in-person or (ii) remotely under the contingency arrangements at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre.

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) operates free legal advice surgeries in IRCs in England. Individuals who are detained are entitled to receive up to 30 minutes of advice regardless of financial eligibility or the merits of their case. There is no restriction on the number of surgeries an individual may attend. If an individual who is detained requires substantive advice on a matter which is in scope of legal aid, full legal advice can be provided if the statutory legal aid means and merits criteria are met.

In order to provide access to Detention Duty Advice Scheme (DDAS) services for women held at Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) from 1 January 2022, existing providers at Yarl’s Wood IRC were invited to submit expressions of interest to provide services on a contingency basis. As a result, the following providers will be awarded rota slots at Derwentside IRC:

In line with Government advice on social distancing, the LAA DDAS is currently operating by phone in IRCs. Remote advice will be made available to women housed at Derwentside IRC on this basis.

In line with Government advice on social distancing, the LAA DDAS has been operating by phone in IRCs, including during the latest period for which figures are available (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-quarterly-april-to-june-2021). Any exceptions to this are at the discretion of individual IRCs, such as if there is a justifiable requirement for a provider to attend in person.