The government has explained how it is preparing the justice system for a ‘no deal’ Brexit
updated on 04 January 2019
The Ministry of Justice has been allocated an extra £30 million, not to address the legal aid crisis, but to prepare for the possibility of a ‘no deal’ Brexit.
As the Law Gazette reports, two thirds of the funding went on increased staffing and IT to deal with higher workloads which could be necessitated by Brexit, while £10 million is being spent on preparing the department’s various business areas.
Justice minister Lucy Frazer has set out the measures her department is taking to prepare for a ‘no deal’ Brexit, including the fast tracking of secondary legislation to ensure that victims of crime in EU member states will still be able to claim compensation after the UK leaves the EU.
Frazer also commented on arrangements for civil areas of law. She said: “'The government is taking action to address the risk of disruption to cross-border services into the UK, including by legislating to establish a temporary permissions regime. This will allow EEA [European Economic Area] firms to continue operating in the UK for a time-limited period after the UK has left the EU, while they apply for full authorisation from UK regulators. The government has also committed to legislate to ensure that contractual obligations (such as under insurance contracts) between EEA firms and UK-based customers that are not covered by the temporary permissions regime can continue to be met.'
