§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases have been brought against his Department under the Human Rights Act 1998; and what has been the cost in(a) legal fees to defend cases and (b) compensation payments. [45063]
§ Angela EagleWe do not collect central records of all cases in which the Human Rights Act 1998 is relied on. Human rights are now integrated in the general law and are rarely the sole basis for a challenge. We will not always know whether a case has been brought against the Home Office, because the Courts are under no obligation to inform us. It would take a disproportionate amount of time and expense to try to compile such a record, even if cases could always be categorised as "being brought … under the Human Rights Act 1998".
We do not collect separate information centrally about the costs to public funds, legal fees or compensation payments which include a human rights issue. In most cases it will be difficult to single out associated costs relating to the human rights element.