Immigration Legal Aid 2024-05-14
2024-05-14
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Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Direct Answer
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Context
The adequacy of legal aid for immigration cases is under scrutiny due to concerns raised by the Bar Council regarding sustainability and availability.
What recent assessment has his Department made of the adequacy of legal aid provision for immigration cases? The Bar Council has submitted grave concerns citing that civil legal aid fees have halved in real terms over 28 years, raising issues about the future availability of counsel in immigration cases.
Access to legal aid matters. We have broadened access by: uplifting fees under the Illegal Migration Act 2023, providing £1.4 million for accreditation and re-accreditation of senior caseworkers, allowing remote guidance from detained duty advice scheme providers, and introducing payment for travel time between immigration removal centres.
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Response accuracy
Q2
Direct Answer
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Context
The Bar Council has expressed grave concerns about the future availability of civil legal aid counsel in immigration cases, citing unsustainable real-term fee reductions over 28 years.
The Bar Council has raised significant concerns about the future sustainability of civil legal aid. They note that fees have halved in real terms over 28 years and question whether justice is now exclusively for the wealthy. What steps are being taken to ensure the future of legal aid in immigration cases?
We are broadening access to legal aid through a means test review that will add £25 million and bring an additional £2 million into scope. The housing loss prevention advice service is being rolled out with another £10 million, totalling up to £141 million in legal aid funding. A Green Paper on civil legal aid sustainability will be issued in July.
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