Select committee: Justice Committee
Conclusion 9
7th Report: Coronavirus (COVID-19): the impact on the legal professions in England and Wales
Published 3 Aug 2020
Paragraph 29
Addressed to Ministry of Justice
Justice Committee Coronavirus (COVID-19): The impact on prison, probation and court systems All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
The Legal Aid Agency has made changes to help the legal professions. For example, it has made it easier to claim interim and hardship payments, aligned some fees for remote work with those for in-person work, and halted pursuit of outstanding debts owed to the Legal Aid Agency. Amanda Pinto told us “I am happy to say that the CPS and the Legal Aid Agency have done sterling work in reducing the backlog in paying their fees.”
From: Justice Committee, 7th Report: Coronavirus (COVID-19): the impact on the legal professions in England and Wales (HC 520), paragraph 29, 3 August 2020
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 19 October 2020 (deadline 3 October 2020).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the Committee's report and responds to its recommendations by setting out the support and measures already in place, with further work and evaluation planned.
- On remote hearings, it says there "will be a further evaluation" of their use during the pandemic, with findings "planned to be available in early 2021".
- On the Law Society's proposals for monthly payments, it says it has "carefully considered" them but that using the Standard Monthly Payment as contractual relief would give "an inconsistent application of support". It will "consider appropriate means of support as necessary".
- On the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme, it states that requiring a 2018-19 tax return was "a difficult decision" taken "for practical reasons, to minimise the opportunity for fraudulent activity". Legal firms not eligible for business rates relief have "benefitted from the wider business and employment support package".
- On law centres, it says "We agree with the Committee" that not-for-profit providers play a vital role, and points to £5.4m in emergency grant funding secured for them.