Select committee: Justice Committee
Recommendation 39
3rd Report - The Future of Legal Aid
Published 27 Jul 2021
Paragraph 140
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)
We commend the Legal Aid Agency for its work supporting legal aid providers since the start of the pandemic. The approach taken by the Agency and its staff shows that it can be flexible and proactive if the circumstances allow. We recommend that the Agency continues with this approach in the future. We would also suggest that the Agency considers whether any of the changes made to deal with the pandemic should be made permanent.
From: Justice Committee, 3rd Report - The Future of Legal Aid (HC 70), paragraph 140, 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".