Here's the summary note of @CommonsJustice session with lord chancellor @RobertBuckland, held remotely and in PRIVATE yesterday. Technical & staffing issues notwithstanding, a private hearing with an inadequate summary is not appropriate. [THREAD] https://committees.parliament.uk/committee/102/justice-committee/news/145866/summarised-note-of-the-meeting-with-the-lord-chancellor-from-7-april/

According to the note, Jo Farrar, chief executive HM Prisons & Probation said 9 "SERVICE USERS" have died after testing positive for COVID-19. Is that how prisoners are referred to these days - seems ludicrous - they aren't choosing to use the service.

Farrar says plan to release 4,000 is not the only plan in place for prisons during COVID crisis - There will be new accommodation in some prisons from next
week to provide enhanced facilities for vulnerable people, with better healthcare provision & more isolation & shielding.

So prisoners were not sharing cells, Farrar says 10,000 and 15,000 would to be released -- considerably more than the 4,000 planned to be released

Note says:"Jo Farrar said HMPPS was making sure everyone had access to WATER and TOWELS". Does that mean in 21st century UK prisons, prisoners do not routinely have access to water & towels to wash! Surely this should be available always, not just during a public health crisis.

Buckland says: "There had been a tenfold rise in the number of cases dealt with by phone or video and latest figures showed that 3,000 cases had been done that way, with 500 done directly."

Buckland confirms there are no jury trials still going on.

Asked if he's seen @thebarcouncil survey (showing 91% of criminal chambers will go but in 12 months without financial help) Buckland says he has "but that survey was based on an assumption of no restart of jury trials...cont

"..If that were indeed so, chambers would hit many problems,
which is why he was keen to see if jury trials could be kept going." This note is very unclear & makes it look like he wants jury trials to restart during lockdown. I'm told by @neill_bob that's not what Buckland meant.

For legal aid lawyers, Buckland said he is "working with the sector to create more support.He was looking for constructive suggestions from colleagues & legal professionals to help assist in understanding the challenges so that representations could be made to the Treasury."

Buckland said @LegalAidAgency "working from home and remotely" and says: "There was a real sense of urgency to speed payments and ensure cash flow so that the legal system survived the current emergency, just as was the
case with other important part of our economy."

Of the 70 pregnant women & mothers in prison (why oh why are these women in prison at all??) who the government said could be released, Buckland confirms only SIX have been released.