Recommendation 12

Our predecessor Committee’s May 2024 report on legal aid in England and Wales raised concerns around access to legal aid advice in areas of the country lacking face-to-face provision of legal aid. Where there are gaps in provision MoJ and LAA often rely on remote advice to fill the gaps. The Committee stressed that ‘legal aid deserts’, large geographic areas without legal aid providers, risk disproportionately penalising groups that cannot access remote advice. Groups affected can include people with a disability or those who have limited access to technology.25 Written evidence we received from the Law Society pointed to research which suggests that millions of people across the UK are digitally excluded (around 24% of the population).26 The Committee recommended in 2024 that MoJ and LAA should clarify what options are available for those unable to make use of remote advice and set out how it plans to better understand the impact of remote provision.27