Lords to question Lord Chancellor Chris Grayling

The Committee will hear from Mr Grayling at 10.30am on Wednesday 26 March in Committee Room 1 of the House of Lords.  

Areas the session is likely to cover include: 

• What impact does the Lord Chancellor's obligations to uphold the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary have on his work as Secretary of State for Justice?
• What action has the Lord Chancellor taken to increase diversity in the judiciary?
• What impact will clause 14 of the Immigration Bill, which instructs courts on how much weight to give to certain factors when considering the rights under the European Convention on Human Rights  of those facing deportation, have on the discretion of courts and tribunals?
• Does the Lord Chancellor agree with the joint committee on the draft prisoner voting bill that parliamentary sovereignty is not an argument against implementing a judgment of the European Court of Human Rights?
• How much weight has been given to principles of access to justice in developing reforms to legal aid? 
• Should the court system be funded only by those that use it or by the nation as a whole?

The session will be webcast at www.parliamentlive.tv and is also open to the public. Journalists wishing to attend should go to Parliament's Cromwell Green Entrance and should allow time for security screening.