“What assessment she has made of trends in the level of homophobic, biphobic and transphobic abuse and assaults faced by LGBTQ+ asylum seekers in processing centres (a) in the UK and (b) offshore.”
Asked by
Olivia Blake
Answering Minister
the Secretary of State for the Home Department
Answer from Hansard
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Sarah Sackman)
On prisons, the inheritance was dire; on Crown court backlogs, the inheritance was dire; and on legal aid services, once again the inheritance has been absolutely dire. This Government are rebuilding the legal aid system for those it serves and those who serve in it. That is why, in December, we announced up to £92 million more a year for criminal legal aid solicitors, on top of £24 million already announced for duty solicitors in police stations. We are also consulting on uplifts, as I said, in housing and immigration legal aid fees, worth an additional £20 million a year—the first increase in civil legal aid fees since 1996.