Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid

Tuesday 22 November 2022 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Karl Turner questioned the effectiveness of the Department's steps to implement the independent review of criminal legal aid recommendations.
  • The Lord Chancellor regularly meets stakeholders and plans to address concerns raised by the Criminal Bar Association and criminal defence solicitors' firms.
  • Afzal Khan stated that the current Justice Secretary has achieved less compared to predecessors in resolving the Criminal Bar Association's strike action.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Karl Turner Ind Kingston upon Hull East
Justice & Courts
Context

The Criminal Bar Association had taken action to strike and the Justice Secretary was criticised for not working constructively with the association.

Question

Whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the steps taken by his Department to implement the recommendations of the independent review of criminal legal aid. The Criminal Bar Association took action to strike, and now criminal defence solicitors' firms are on their knees.

Answer from Mike Freer

My right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor meets all stakeholders on a regular basis, and I think he has a meeting coming up to address those very concerns. I am sure that he will sit down and discuss those concerns in the next few weeks.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitment to parity of funding was not provided

How: My Right Hon. Friend The Lord Chancellor Meets All Stakeholders On A Regular Basis

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Q2 Karl Turner Ind Kingston upon Hull East
Justice & Courts
Context

The Criminal Bar Association had taken action to strike and the Justice Secretary was criticised for not working constructively with the association.

Question

Well before the Criminal Bar Association took action to strike, I warned the Lord Chancellor that that was inevitable unless he sat down with the association and worked constructively. He accused me of being its shop steward. Now, criminal defence solicitors' firms are on their knees. The Justice Secretary is not known for working constructively, but will he sit down with the Law Society and representative groups of criminal solicitors to come to an agreement on parity of funding between the criminal Bar and criminal defence solicitors?

Answer from Mike Freer

My right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor meets all stakeholders on a regular basis, and I think he has a meeting coming up to address those very concerns. I am sure that he will sit down and discuss those concerns in the next few weeks.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitment to parity of funding was not provided

How: My Right Hon. Friend The Lord Chancellor Meets All Stakeholders On A Regular Basis

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Q3 Afzal Khan Lab Manchester Rusholme
Justice & Courts Standards & Ethics
Context

The Law Society warned that it may be forced to advise its members to stop working in criminal practice if Bellamy's recommendations are not met.

Question

The Lord Chancellor's successor and predecessor was able to achieve more in a few days than the current Justice Secretary ever has by agreeing a deal and ending the CBA's strike action. The Law Society has warned that it may be forced to advise its members to stop working in criminal practice if Bellamy's recommendations are not met. Will the Lord Chancellor get his priorities straight and honour the Government's own review by giving legal aid solicitors the funding they need to avoid collapse and make our justice system sustainable?

Answer from Mike Freer

I know that the Lord Chancellor—he is his own predecessor, as was pointed out—has been committed to ensuring that the system remains correctly funded within the spending envelope. He will continue to address the concerns raised by all stakeholders in the criminal justice system. We are entirely committed to working with the advisory board to address all the issues that the hon. Gentleman raised.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific commitment to funding was not provided

How: He Will Continue To Address The Concerns Raised By All Stakeholders In The Criminal Justice System

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