Speeches by Sackman.

“The policy exists, as I have said, critically in the context of a restored probation system, and it is to that which I come right now. Probation is an indispensable part of the scheme that the hon. Member talks about—a probation system that was, as I have said, absolutely gutted under the Opposition. Probation and comm…”

“Prison education is vital, and I have seen some fantastic examples of it, in particular on a recent visit to High Down. Prison education can take many forms, such as vocational training and education in a conventional sense. In some senses, the bigger question is how do we make our prisons safe? There is no point in ha…”

“The hon. Member has had an entire urgent question in which to ventilate these issues, and I am here to debate the estimates and address some of the other points that have been raised. I do not duck the essential point that our early release scheme will apply to some of those guilty of the offences to which he refers, i…”

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“I will certainly ask Ms Harbottle to provide further detail on this. It was a criminal attack on legacy systems where a lot of personal data, subject quite rightly to GDPR and then ICO processes, was held in a very fragmented way. There is a lot of complexity around complying with those requirements, which of course we…”

“There is no denying not only the challenging environment in family legal aid but also the critical role that I agree it plays in tackling violence against women and girls. It is why some of the legislative changes we have made in the Ministry of Justice—perhaps they are not ones that have made the headlines—to ensure t…”

“That is really great to hear. I am sure that Baroness Levitt, who leads on family justice policy, will want to participate in that. I would love to come, if the invite is extended.”

“Of course we have a responsibility where we make a commitment in statute to this that that commitment is realised. It is why the implementation of the commitment around the Hillsborough law for non-means-tested legal aid for bereaved families at inquest is a real focus for the Department. Part of that implementation in…”

“That example that you give speaks to the way in which we know that family court can become a site of re-traumatisation. There is a report out today that no doubt those on the Committee will have taken notice of. As you say, it perpetuates the very abuse that may be at issue in the case. Of course, one has to look at ap…”

“I think that is correct.”

“Ms Harbottle has been really clear that we informed the public via the notice. We are complying with the ICO. It is important to remind ourselves that this was not a leak of our own making; it was the subject of a criminal cyber-attack, and a serious one at that. It is why the National Cyber Security Centre has been in…”

“It is a really important point and one that I was seized of coming into this job—not just the attrition and numbers we are losing from the duty solicitor scheme but also some data that the Ministry of Justice holds in relation to the age of those solicitors. It is not just a problem we have now; it is a problem we will…”

“I will answer that in two ways. First, we need more information. The report published on 5 June tells us that the way we need to approach this will take a bit of sophistication for us to get a real handle on it, so it is not job done; there is more work to do. The second part of my answer is not to sit on my hands and …”

“The first thing we have done is to make the investment in housing and immigration. That was important to do in terms of both the scale of the investment—£20 million—and implementing those fees. That sounds simple and should be simple; it is not simple, because, as you will recall, we had a major criminal cyber-attack o…”

“To pick up quickly on the previous question and then come to the point about unmet demand, you heard in Ms Harbottle’s answer that there is good awareness of where there are gaps, and that the LAA, certainly from what I have seen, is proactive about seeking to plug those where they arise. For example, I know there have…”

“It may be worth bringing in Ms Harbottle and then perhaps I can add to that.”

“I am making a more general point. There is the reality of capacity. You may have to turn away work because there just is not capacity. In so far as there are examples where people choose more lucrative areas, or certain areas that interest a firm more, ultimately there is a degree, even within publicly funded work, of …”

“No. There is a practical point there, which is that we are dancing a little bit around the underlying system. Every time the Government—this is true for all shades of Government—announce a fee change or uplift, it is incredibly difficult to implement. There is a very simple reason for that, because of people who sat in…”

“I reject that.”

“I am not going to commit to its being before the House rises. The summer is the summer, and we will, as I said, publish it in the summer phase, before the autumn.”