Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Paragraph: 38
There are serious problems with the current fee schemes for criminal legal aid.
Conclusion
There are serious problems with the current fee schemes for criminal legal aid. The fees and rates do not reflect the work required. The schemes should be reformed to ensure that they offer a fair rate for the work required and are subject to regular review.
Paragraph Reference:
38
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
In September 2020, we injected up to £51m per annum into the criminal legal aid system, through payments for reviewing unused material and sending cases to the Crown Court. From this, litigators are estimated to have received additional funding of £17m - £24m per annum. In 2019–20, there were 1,220 solicitor firms in receipt of criminal legal aid fee income. In addition, the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review’s Terms of Reference include a section on ‘fee review’ considering whether a mechanism to review fees might ensure they are flexible, can adapt to changing market conditions, encourage new providers to enter the market and incentivise providers to continuously improve the quality of their services. We will address this issue in our response to his review and have committed to responding to the Review’s final report before the end of 2021.