Richard Burgon
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of law centres in each local authority area since 2010.

Paul Maynard

Not all Local Authorities have a Law Centre within their boundaries for a number of reasons. The LAA commissions services on a ‘Procurement Area’ basis. Procurement Areas align to one or a number of combined local authority areas and have been developed based on various local factors. Not all Procurement Areas can be compared on a like-for-like basis.

Individuals are not limited to accessing legal advice providers in the Procurement Area where they live and may access services from providers located in neighbouring local authorities, or at other contracted legal advice providers located locally.

The table below shows a list of those local authorities in which the LAA has been able to identify an LAA contracted Law Centre office in each financial year since 2010/11.

The figures in the LAA’s data may not give the full picture of coverage. There are a number areas where law centres may have chosen to consolidate offices but continue to deliver larger volumes of work across a whole procurement area.

Count of Law Centre offices in Local Authority

2010/11

2011/12

2012/13

2013/14

2015/16

2016/17

2014/15

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20 as at Jul19

Allerdale

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Amber Valley

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

Basildon

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Bedford

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

Bexley

1

1

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

Birmingham

1

0

0

0

1

1

1

1

1

1

Bolsover

0

0

0

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

Bradford

1

1

1

3

2

2

2

2

2

1

Braintree

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Brent

1

1

1

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

Bury

1

1

1

2

2

1

1

1

1

1

Caerdydd/Cardiff

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

Calderdale

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

Camden

1

1

1

2

2

1

1

1

1

1

Carlisle

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Castle Point

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Chelmsford

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Cheltenham

1

0

0

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

Chesterfield

1

1

1

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

City of Bristol

1

1

1

3

1

1

1

1

1

1

City of Derby

1

1

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

City of Leicester

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

City of Nottingham

1

1

1

3

3

3

3

3

3

1

City of Plymouth

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

City of Westminster

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

Colchester

1

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

Copeland

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Coventry

1

1

1

6

6

5

5

5

5

1

Croydon

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Ealing

0

0

0

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Epsom and Ewell

1

1

1

1

1

0

1

1

0

0

Erewash

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Gateshead

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Gloucester

1

1

1

3

3

1

1

1

1

1

Greenwich

2

2

2

2

2

1

0

0

0

0

Hackney

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Halton

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

1

Hammersmith and Fulham

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Haringey

1

1

1

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

Harlow

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

1

Harrow

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

High Peak

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

Hillingdon

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Hounslow

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Ipswich

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

1

Isle of Wight

1

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

1

Islington

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Kensington and Chelsea

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Kingston upon Thames

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Kirklees

2

2

2

3

2

2

2

2

2

2

Lambeth

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Leeds

1

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

Lewisham

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

1

Liverpool

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Luton

1

1

1

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

Maldon

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Manchester

2

1

1

3

3

0

0

0

1

1

Merton

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Newcastle upon Tyne

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

1

1

North East Derbyshire

0

0

0

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

Oldham

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

Rochdale

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Rochford

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Sheffield

2

2

2

7

7

6

9

3

3

2

Southend-on-Sea

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Southwark

1

1

1

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

St. Helens

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

1

Stockport

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Sunderland

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

1

Sutton

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

Swindon

1

1

1

2

2

1

1

1

1

1

Tendring

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Tower Hamlets

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

1

1

1

Trafford

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

0

Wakefield

0

0

0

2

2

1

1

1

1

0

Walsall

1

1

1

3

0

0

0

0

0

0

Waltham Forest

0

0

0

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

Wandsworth

3

3

3

2

2

2

2

2

2

2

Warrington

1

1

1

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

Warwick

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

0

Grand Total

75

70

69

94

84

68

70

63

69

47

The Legal Aid Agency keeps availability of legal support under constant review and takes urgent action whenever it has concerns. We spent £1.6 billion on legal aid last year and in addition to the Civil Legal Advice Telephone service, we are investing £5m in innovative technologies to help people access legal support wherever they are.

Chris Law
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he will take to further integrate human rights considerations into his Department's country-level programming, particularly in human rights priority countries.

Harriett Baldwin

The UK is committed to respecting, promoting and protecting universal human rights. Respect for human rights is important in itself and for achieving stable, inclusive and prosperous societies. Human rights underpin freedom, democracy and rule of law and form the basis of the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are at the heart of the UK Aid Strategy and the Department’s new Single Departmental Plan which guide DFID’s strategic decision-making.

DFID country offices’ planning processes take account of interdisciplinary analysis, including a country’s progress toward achieving the SDGs, and our aid relationships involve consideration of partner governments’ commitment to human rights.

DFID carries out, and regularly reviews, programme risk assessments, including the risks of unintended harm to people and to the environment, and our Supply Partner Code of Conduct sets high, legally enforceable standards for ethical behaviour and compliance with human rights by our suppliers in the delivery of DFID contracts.

DFID’s position paper, Governance for Growth, Stability and Inclusive Development, published in March, set a refreshed strategic direction for DFID’s work on governance, including a renewed focus on protecting democratic space, where this is under threat, and supporting the rule of law and civic freedoms. It is a key reference document for future planning.

Chris Law
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps he will take to ensure that, in line with the UN Statement of Common Understanding, a human-rights based approach is integrated within his Department's development co-operation and programming.

Harriett Baldwin

The UK is committed to respecting, promoting and protecting universal human rights. Respect for human rights is important in itself and for achieving stable, inclusive and prosperous societies. Human rights underpin freedom, democracy and rule of law and form the basis of the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are at the heart of the UK Aid Strategy and the Department’s new Single Departmental Plan which guide DFID’s strategic decision-making.

DFID country offices’ planning processes take account of interdisciplinary analysis, including a country’s progress toward achieving the SDGs, and our aid relationships involve consideration of partner governments’ commitment to human rights.

DFID carries out, and regularly reviews, programme risk assessments, including the risks of unintended harm to people and to the environment, and our Supply Partner Code of Conduct sets high, legally enforceable standards for ethical behaviour and compliance with human rights by our suppliers in the delivery of DFID contracts.

DFID’s position paper, Governance for Growth, Stability and Inclusive Development, published in March, set a refreshed strategic direction for DFID’s work on governance, including a renewed focus on protecting democratic space, where this is under threat, and supporting the rule of law and civic freedoms. It is a key reference document for future planning.

Viscount Waverley
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Goudie on 27 June, what repercussions the UK has indicated to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia would follow should international judicial norms not be followed in all matters relating to the death of Jamal Khashoggi.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The British Government condemns Jamal Khashoggi's killing in the strongest possible terms. The Government remains clear that anyone found responsible must be held fully accountable. The ongoing Saudi judicial process is an important element in the process to establish accountability. We expect it to proceed in line with internationally recognised legal standards. The UK attends the trial as part of a group of international observers. We attend all trials of international concern where host governments permit us to do so. It would not be appropriate for us to comment on an ongoing legal process.

Vernon Coaker
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made on filling the 480 child refugee places in the Immigration Act 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Nokes

The Government is absolutely committed to transferring the specified number of 480 unaccompanied children under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 (Dubs Amendment) as soon as possible. Over 220 children were transferred to the UK under section 67 when the Calais camp was cleared in late 2016. Since then we have been making further progress with the three participating States – France, Greece, and Italy – to refer and transfer more eligible children to move closer to the commitment to transfer 480 children.

The UK is at the forefront in protecting children affected by the migration crisis. Section 67 is one of a number of schemes that offer a safe and legal route to the UK for the most vulnerable refugees. In total, the UK provided protection to over 6,600 children in 2018, and 34,600 since the start of 2010, and in every year since 2016, the UK resettled more refugees from outside Europe than any other EU member state.

Jo Stevens
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the financial impact on defendants of the introduction of an upper limit on disposable income for people claiming legal aid for Crown Court representation.

Paul Maynard

On 7 February 2019, the Government published the Post Implementation Review (PIR) of Part 1 of The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 which included an assessment of the impact of the £37,500 disposable income threshold introduced at the Crown Court: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/post-implementation-review-of-part-1-of-laspo

Alongside the PIR, the Government also published its Legal Support Action Plan in which it announced a comprehensive review of the wider legal aid eligibility regime; this will include the Crown Court thresholds. The review is expected to conclude by Summer 2020 after which we will publish a full consultation paper setting out our future policy proposals in this area. We will seek to implement any final recommendations as soon as practicable following public consultation.

Tom Brake
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on reports of the closure of a Baha’i-run elder care centre in Karaj, Iran.

Dr Andrew Murrison

We are aware of reports indicating that Baha'i owned businesses are being targeted for closure, including reports of the attempted closure of a care centre in Karaj, Iran. We remain concerned about the continued harassment and mistreatment that the Baha'i and other minority groups face.

We support the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran's assessment that discrimination against the Baha'is in Iran is legally sanctioned by a lack of constitutional recognition and the absence of other legal protections for adherents of this faith. We regularly call upon Iran to cease harassment of all religious minorities and to fulfil its international and domestic obligations to protect freedom of religion or belief.