Prisoners: Human Rights

Justice written question – answered at on 5 July 2011.

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Photo of Amber Rudd Amber Rudd Conservative, Hastings and Rye

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on the provision of legal aid to prisoners in respect of human rights cases in each of the last five years.

Photo of Jonathan Djanogly Jonathan Djanogly The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice

The information is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost; a matter involving human rights can be brought under various categories of law and the status of an individual as a prisoner is not specifically recorded within those categories of law.

Prisoners can receive legal aid within the prison law category of legal aid funding, subject to a means and merits test. This covers advice and assistance on matters relating to treatment, discipline and sentence and advocacy assistance at prison discipline and parole board hearings. The total cost of legal aid in the prison law category of funding for each of the past five years is as follows:

£ million
2005-06 8,742
2006-07 12,489
2007-08 15,992
2008-09 21,606
2009-10 25,211

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No3 people think not

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