Select committee: Justice Committee
Recommendation 5
3rd Report - The Future of Legal Aid
Published 27 Jul 2021
Paragraph 34
Addressed to Ministry of Justice
Justice Committee The Future of Legal Aid All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The lack of any increase to criminal legal aid fees for solicitors over the past 20 years needs to be addressed. Sir Christopher Bellamy’s current review, commissioned by the Government, gives an opportunity to do this. Thereafter, fees and rates should be regularly reviewed in line with inflation, otherwise the gap will build up over time and become harder to address.
From: Justice Committee, 3rd Report - The Future of Legal Aid (HC 70), paragraph 34, 27 July 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 16 November 2021 (deadline 27 September 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government responds mainly by pointing to ongoing reviews and pilots, in particular the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review, and does not set out firm decisions on most recommendations.
- On criminal legal aid fees and sustainability, it says it "will address this issue" in its response to Sir Christopher Bellamy's review, and has "committed to responding to the Review's final report before the end of 2021".
- On the means test, it says it intends to publish the Means Test Review "alongside a public consultation shortly", and will address the report's related points following that consultation.
- On civil legal aid, it is "already considering" sustainability internally and is developing an early legal advice pilot in social welfare law, with further details to be announced "in due course".
- On judicial directions for Exceptional Case Funding, it says the Legal Aid Agency takes decisions "completely free from outside influence" and it does "not believe that this position should change".