Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 14
14
Accepted
LAA explores contract barriers and funds travel to improve legal aid access for vulnerable.
Recommendation
We asked MoJ and LAA for an update on what they are doing to ensure that different groups can access legal aid, particularly those for whom remote advice may not be suitable. LAA explained that since the previous Committee’s evidence session, it had been looking at how to empower providers to use their judgement on the best way to deliver advice to individuals. It stated that it has also been examining whether its contract provisions create barriers to this, and told us that it had agreed to pay travel costs for providers to travel to clients where there were gaps in the provision of criminal legal aid.29
Government Response Summary
The MoJ will explore removing barriers to providers meeting clients face-to-face, increase understanding of demand from digitally excluded individuals, and report back to the Committee in October 2026.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
3.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: October 2026 3.2 The Committee’s report notes that the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has begun to explore what it can do to remove barriers to providers meeting with clients face-to face and the department can report that work is starting to increase the department’s understanding of demand, including from digitally excluded individuals 3.3 In December 2025, the MoJ commenced a civil demand feasibility study with Ipsos, to identify options for the routine monitoring of demand for civil legal aid. This includes considering demand from vulnerable cohorts such as the digitally excluded. This study will report by the end of March 2026. 3.4 The department is pursuing a programme to transform the delivery of legal aid services, with a focus on the user experience of accessing legal aid. As part of this, MoJ and the LAA will build modernised digital systems that will enable better capture management information about user access to legal aid. However, improved “non-digital” routes for potential clients to access legal aid services will also be built. As part of this, alongside user research, the department will engage with organisations that work to fix the digital divide and explore best practice across government. The department will report back to the Committee on progress against that plan in October 2026.