Coronavirus (COVID-19): The impact on prison, probation and court systems

The government acknowledges the committee's praise for the probation service's pandemic response but then, instead of responding to that, expresses its own concern about inconsistencies in probation delivery models and makes a recommendation to itself regarding guidance and monitoring.

The government explains the reasons for regime variance due to the pandemic and states that the current minimum out-of-cell time ranges from 1–3 hours, but it does not commit to setting out clear expectations for minimum time out of cell and activity for each phase …

The government describes the development, review, and amendments made to Exceptional Delivery Models (EDMs) and ongoing work with Public Health, but does not commit to keeping the Committee updated on specific prisons transitioning or their timeframes.

The government's response does not address the recommendation to set out steps for lay parties' access to technology for remote hearings or to review the effectiveness of remote hearings for all participants before further rollout. Instead, it discusses reviews related to legal aid practitioners and …

The government's response discusses its consideration of the Law Society's proposals for Standard Monthly Payments for Legal Aid providers and their reasons for not adopting them, failing to address the recommendation regarding the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 restrictions on BAME and state-educated legal professionals.

The government's response discusses support for Law Centres and not-for-profit providers, including emergency funding and new services, but does not address the observation regarding newly qualified barristers facing particular pressure.

The government acknowledges that it introduced an unprecedented package of support measures during the pandemic, listing the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme, and Bounce Back Loan Scheme as available to legal practitioners and firms, but does not …

The government details its existing support measures and the reasons for the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme's eligibility criteria, but it does not commit to considering the Bar Council's proposals for alternative evidence or reporting back on them.