Gavin Robinson – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Justice

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gavin Robinson on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2016 to Question 30414, on terrorism; Hyde Park, if the Secretary of State for Justice will support the Hyde Park victims by providing financial assistance outwith the Legal Aid Agency process.

Mr Shailesh Vara

The Government’s sympathies are with the victims and friends and families of those who lost their lives and were injured in this terrible attack.

As I said in my answer of 14 March to Parliamentary Question 30414, decisions on funding individual cases are taken independently by the Legal Aid Agency. The decision not to provide legal aid funding for this claim for damages was made as it does not meet the criteria set by Parliament. Ministers are prevented by law from intervening in the individual decisions of the Legal Aid Agency.

The legal aid scheme sets out the extent of the circumstances in which Parliament has decided it is appropriate for the taxpayer to fund litigation. The Government has no current plans to change arrangements for funding in damages cases or provide alternative funding to meet litigation costs.