Ministry of Justice Memorandum on Main Estimate 2013-14
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Ministry of Justice Memorandum on Main Estimate 2013-14 Ministry of Justice Memorandum on Main Estimate 2013-14 - 1 - Ministry of Justice Memorandum on Main Estimate 2013-14 Ministry of Justice Memorandum on Main Estimate 2013-14 Contents Page Introduction • Key Activities 3 • Estimate provision by budgetary limits 3 • Variances from Previous Single Supplementary Estimate 3 Key Points • Main priorities and expected outcomes 4-7 • Ambit 7 • Changes to Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) 8-9 • Changes to Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) 9 • New programmes and changes to existing programmes 10-14 Detailed Breakdown • Estimate Line Breakdown 15 • Variances to prior year 2011-12 provisions 16 Additional information • Budgetary limits previous 3 years, all future years 17 • HMCTS Income 18 • Private & Public Prisons 19 • Provisions 20-22 • Contingent liabilities 22 Accounting Officer Approval 23 - 2 - Ministry of Justice Memorandum on Main Estimate 2013-14 Introduction Key activities The Ministry of Justice is responsible for administration of justice in the United Kingdom. Specifically:- ¾ Administer law in courts and tribunals (including appointing people to legal offices) ¾ Handle those convicted in criminal courts (including imprisonment, parole and probation and young people) ¾ Review criminal convictions and revise the laws of England and Wales ¾ Act on behalf of people without capacity to act for themselves in legal matters ¾ Make provision for people to act as deputies and attorneys for others ¾ Inspect other organisations in the justice system ¾ Address complaints and concerns about bodies in the legal system ¾ Concern themselves with stopping people getting into crime (including young people) Estimate provision by budgetary limits £m Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit (RDEL) 7,778.995 Of which: Voted Resource DEL 7,640.795 Non-Voted Resource DEL 138.200 And of which: Administration Budget - includes ring-fenced depreciation £36.902m 607.459 Programme Budget - includes ring-fenced depreciation £526.000m and non voted £138.200m 7,171.536 Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (CDEL) 276.500 Resource Annually Managed Expenditure Limit (RAME) 71.400 Net cash Requirement (NCR) 7,355.823 Variances from previous financial year provision in the published Single Supplementary Estimate 2012-13 RDEL provision has decreased by £851.089m, this is due to reserve claims in 2012- 13 in relation to pre-tariff cases of £90m within the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and £159m for other pressures, together with the reduction of £42.700m for Pay restraint announced in the Autumn Statement 2011, £73.803m additional budget reduction announced in the Autumn Statement 2012 and £72.960m additional budget reduction announced in the Budget 2013. These reductions are in addition to the overall reduction in the Ministry’s budget as part of the SR10 settlement. CDEL provision has decreased by £14m mainly due to a £2m transfer to HM Revenue and Customs in relation to the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 and again to an overall reduction in the Ministry’s budget as part of the SR10 settlement. RAME provision has decreased by £765.826m mainly due to additional release of provisions with CICA in relation to pre tariff cases in 2012-13 of £90m, offset by - 3 - Ministry of Justice Memorandum on Main Estimate 2013-14 impairments on the NOMS and HMCTS estates recorded in 2012-13 of £590m and an additional provision of £200m in relation to the Judicial Long Service Award. New areas of income and expenditure There are no new significant areas of income and expenditure within the Ministry. Key Points Main priorities and expected outcomes The Ministry of Justice plays an integral part in the administration of justice in the United Kingdom. The Ministry works closely with the Home Office and the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure an effective running of the criminal justice system. Departmental budgets exclude planned expenditure for certain items which will only be drawn if needed in year, so totals are subject to change The Ministry is broken down into five business Groups Justice Policy Group HM Courts and Tribunals Service National Offender Management Service Legal Aid Agency Corporate Performance Group The key priorities for each business group are: Justice Policy Group (Budget £456.462m) The key priorities for the Justice Policy Group are: Continuing the focus on reforming rehabilitation, through promoting payment by results, reforming probation, and expanding work within prison; Reforming sentencing and penalties, through completion of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Bill, publishing a restorative justice framework, and responding to public views on reforming community sentences; Introducing policies for reform of the wider justice system, by making the criminal justice system more accessible and transparent, and reforming civil, administrative and family justice; Implementing measures which will reform legal aid so that it continues to provide support for those who need it while making the system work more efficiently; - 4 - Ministry of Justice Memorandum on Main Estimate 2013-14 Assuring better law, protecting civil liberties, and safeguarding human rights, including through negotiating a number of civil and criminal proposals at European level, delivering reform of the European Court of Human Rights, responding to the Commission on a UK Bill of Human Rights and supporting the development of Justice overseas; Developing and implementing information rights and policy, including extending the Freedom of Information Act and ensuring that the proposed new EU Data Protection framework reflects UK interests. HM Courts and Tribunals Service (Budget £1,015.414m) Provide the supporting administration for a fair and efficient courts and tribunal system; Support an independent judiciary in the administration of justice; Drive continuous improvement of performance and efficiency across all aspects of the administration of the courts and tribunals; Collaborate effectively with other justice organisations and agencies, including the legal professions, to improve access to justice; and Work with government departments and agencies to improve the quality of their decision making in order to reduce the number of cases coming before the courts and tribunals. Legal Aid Agency (Budget £1,925.200m) The Legal Aid Agency (LAA), which replaces the Legal Services Commission as part of the changes within the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, is responsible for the commissioning and administration of Legal Aid in England and Wales. The LAA provides legal aid, advice and information in England and Wales through two schemes: the Community Legal Service (CLS) and the Criminal Defence Service (CDS). The LAA’s organisational purpose is to deliver legal aid efficiently and effectively as part of the justice system. The LAA’s objectives for 2013-14 are three-fold: 1. Improve casework to reduce cost, enhance control and give better customer service; 2. Improve organisational capability to meet the challenges ahead, including developing and engaging our people; 3. Build and maintain strong partnerships to secure quality provision and contribute fully to wider justice and Government aims. - 5 - Ministry of Justice Memorandum on Main Estimate 2013-14 National Offender Management Service (Budget £3,383.523m) The NOMS Agency Board has agreed a clear vision for the delivery of offender management both in the community and in custody in 2013-14. The Agency’s work in 2013-14 is focussed on maintaining business performance whilst delivering two key Government priorities: • Transforming Rehabilitation – the implementation of wide-ranging reform to Probation and offender management services in the community; and • Reducing the cost of prison - by closing uneconomic places/capacity; driving through the competition benchmark; testing services in the market and developing new efficient ways of working whilst maintaining safety, decency, security and order. Corporate Performance Group (Budget £827.212m) The Corporate Performance Group brings together in a single group the key cross- cutting corporate functions which provide the support and challenge to help the MoJ deliver its objectives. As one of the largest Departments in Whitehall, the MoJ needs to ensure that it provides this support in the most cost-effective way; therefore CPG will continuously review the services which it provides to ensure that unnecessary duplication is avoided. It continues to keep under review the way that corporate services are delivered to the business, to make sure this is always being done in the most effective way. The MoJ continues to broaden the use of the Shared Service delivery model across corporate services to drive efficiency, improve administrative processes with the aim of always providing a level of service which meets the needs and expectations of CPG’s customers. The group is structured around ten key areas: Information & Communications Technology, Finance, Strategic Estates, Procurement, Human Resources, Communications & Information, Internal Audit & Assurance, Shared Services, Legal Services and Analytical Services. It is also responsible for providing support to the Departmental Board and leading the work on Transforming Justice across the MoJ. The group provides support to the MoJ in the following ways: • Setting corporate strategy and standards and challenging performance on behalf of the Departmental Board – CPG