Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 26
26
Paragraph: 104
We continue to be disappointed with the Ministry of Justice’s approach to gathering data on...
Conclusion
We continue to be disappointed with the Ministry of Justice’s approach to gathering data on access to justice. From the evidence we heard, the data they hold may not adequately reflect the impact of litigants in person on court time and throughput. We remain concerned that the inability to produce high-quality data on the impact of legal advice on access to justice means that the chances of the Treasury granting additional funding for legal advice and representation are slim.
Paragraph Reference:
104
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
One of the MoJ’s key priorities to make best use of available data to inform evidence- based policy making. It is a key priority for the Justice Secretary. The MoJ Permanent Secretary wrote to the Committee in March 2021 setting out that the MoJ is committed to making best use of available data, but it is not without challenge. Much of the Ministry’s data is held in legacy IT systems, particularly in our operations. This is often difficult to extract and join up. However, despite these challenges, we are making progress. MoJ and HMCTS analysts already have analytically well-developed models for forecasting demand across all jurisdictions, informed by intelligence from other Government departments and historical trends. To respond to the degree of pace of change facing the system, we are augmenting short and medium-term planning by developing new tools to support existing models. We are also investing to increase the capacity of our analytical function, and to change the mix of capabilities we have at our disposal. Specifically, in relation to the impact of legal advice, next year we are launching a pilot to test the impact of early legal advice in social welfare law. This project will embed experimental evaluation from the outset and will significantly improve our understanding of the impact of these services.