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Written question asked by Gerry Sutcliffe (Labour) on Tuesday, 10 February 2015, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 12 February 2015. It was answered by Shailesh Vara (Conservative) on Wednesday, 25 February 2015 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.


HM Courts and Tribunals Service

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the availability of front-of-house staff within the Courts Service to assist with the completion of official documents.

Answer

Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service administrative staff provide help to courts and tribunals users directly at court buildings and hearing centres. Help is also provided by staff at call centres and through guidance provided on-line. While HMCTS staff cannot provide any legal advice, they are able to provide general help on procedure, including, where appropriate, guidance on the completion of court documents. Depending on the circumstances staff will also signpost users to appropriate advice agencies for this purpose. Through its budgeting and workforce planning processes HMCTS endeavours to ensure all activities are resourced to meet the demands of the service.

Where a party appears unrepresented in the Magistrates’ Court, the Legal Adviser has a general duty to assist and this includes providing assistance with the completion of court forms.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
223923
Session
2014-15
Subjects
Documents Staff HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk