Criminal Justice (Electronic Commerce) (Amendment) (EU Exit) Regulations 2021 – Lord Wolfson of Tredegar.
Competition Appeal Tribunal (Recording and Broadcasting) Order 2022 – Lord Wolfson of Tredegar.
Draft Early Legal Advice Pilot Scheme Order 2022 – Lord Wolfson of Tredegar.
Judicial Pensions Regulations 2022 – Lord Wolfson of Tredegar.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Future Relationship Act received Royal Assent on 31 December 2020 and the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement is now enshrined into UK law. There are no plans to amend this agreement with respect to the definition of a ‘lawyer’. The legal services practice rights captured in the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement are a novel provision covering policy areas where the EU was...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) are evaluating the use of remote hearings during the Covid-19 outbreak. This will include a large-scale survey of over 5000 public users, capturing their experiences of and attitudes to remote hearings. Survey findings will be supplemented by in-depth interviews with users on their experiences. HMCTS will publish the findings of the evaluation once it...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: Planning for the Integrated Domestic Abuse Court pilot is under way with the Steering Group and Design Groups established and developing detailed proposals. We intend to launch the pilots later this year, despite the challenges brought by Covid-19 and the significant ongoing work to ensure the family courts continue to function throughout the pandemic.
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: The Government has committed to set up a Lord Chancellor’s working group to assess any evidence for changing the law of financial provision on divorce and dissolution. This review will be led by evidence, which is yet to be gathered, on whether there are problems with the current law. The Government will seek to ensure a balance of members from across different professions. The Government...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: HMP Dartmoor is delivering essential elements of prison regime even during the current restrictions. In each 24-hour period, prisoners are allowed phone calls (mobile phones when required for isolators), time in the open air, showers, meals and medication distribution. Even for those who are Covid-19 positive and in isolation, showers are facilitated in prisoner groups. Regime is additionally...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: In March 2020 temporary restrictions were put in place to minimise movements between jails. As at 12th January 2021 inter-prison transfers (including transfers from closed to open prisons) have not been stopped entirely as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and we continue safely to undertake inter-prison transfers, where required. Transfers between prisons, particularly progressive transfers...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: My Lords, the noble and learned Lord fails to put this information in context. In the Crown Court, prior to the Covid pandemic hitting in March last year, the outstanding caseload was 39,000, which was well within the range of 33,000 to 55,000 over the last decade. Immediately before the pandemic hit, we had increased the number of sitting days in response to an incoming demand on the...
Lord Wolfson of Tredegar: My Lords, I assure the noble Lord that there is no complacency whatever. In fact, in September we published a crime recovery plan to which members from all groups involved in the criminal courts contributed. That plan was put together after significant consultation and collaboration. It is now being implemented. We now have more rooms for jury trials. We have plexiglass to enable social...