questionText: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of shortages in the number of experts available to provide specialist evidential reports on (a) the criminal justice system and (b) conviction rates.
answerText: We recognise that expert evidence is a key element of many cases and so are taking a number of steps to ensure the availability of experts. We have increased expert witness fees (including forensic science experts) by 15% in cases where legal aid is grant...
heading: Criminal Proceedings: Expert Evidence