What will be the impact on the work of the Ministry of Justice of
the thousands of extra police officers and the thousands of extra
prison places which the government is planning for the next few
years?
How has the Covid-19 pandemic slowed the work of courtrooms and
complicated the running of prisons? At the same time, has the
pandemic also, perhaps, presented opportunities for tackling
long-standing problems in novel ways?
These are just some of the questions the Justice Committee will
be seeking illumination on when it takes one of its regular looks
at the work of the Ministry of Justice, including its financial
accounts. The session will welcome a panel of senior officials
from Ministry of Justice on Tuesday 23 March 2021 at 1430 HRS.
The proceedings will be broadcast on parliamentlive.tv
The Ministry of Justice spends over £10bn a year. About 50% of
this goes on the prison and probation services. Around 20% goes
on the courts system, while a further roughly 20% is spent on
legal aid.
The annual report and accounts of the Ministry of Justice
are usually published each year before the Parliamentary summer
recess. This is usually followed by a Justice Committee session
with the permanent secretary to discuss them. Due to the
pandemic, the 2019-20 accounts were published in November 2020.
The witnesses for the session are:
-
, Permanent
Secretary, Ministry of Justice
- James McEwen, Interim Chief Financial Officer, Ministry of
Justice
-
, Chief
Executive, HM Courts & Tribunals Service
- Jo Farrar, Chief Executive Officer, HM Prison & Probation
Service
