Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Support for Law Firms: Covid-19

Thursday 9 July 2020 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The CPS has made changes to its payment system for advocates to support them during the pandemic.
  • The Ministry of Justice is working closely with legal practitioners to adjust payment methods for work performed.
  • The CPS announced measures on 30 March to enable interim invoices to be raised.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Feryal Clark Lab Birmingham Yardley
Justice & Courts Economy
Context

Before the pandemic, many law firms were already struggling due to a decade of cuts to legal aid.

Question

What discussions has she had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the effectiveness of Government support for law firms during the covid-19 outbreak?

Answer from The Solicitor General (Michael Ellis)

The CPS has made changes to its system for paying fees to advocates to help support them during this difficult time, adjusted to ensure payment for work performed, even where a normal invoice trigger point has not been reached. The Ministry of Justice is working closely with legal practitioners to understand the impact of covid-19 on them. The Legal Aid Agency has streamlined the process for interim payments and hardship payments, including lowering the threshold for when such claims can be made.

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Q2 Feryal Clark Lab Birmingham Yardley
Justice & Courts
Context

Law firms were already struggling before the pandemic due to a decade of cuts to legal aid.

Question

Before the pandemic, many law firms were already struggling because of a decade of cuts to legal aid. What is the Solicitor General doing to ensure we have a functioning and fair criminal justice system when the crisis is over?

Answer from The Solicitor General (Michael Ellis)

Prosecuting advocates play an essential role in our criminal justice system, and the Government support them, as can be seen with the recent influx of money from the Treasury to the Crown Prosecution Service. On 30 March, the CPS announced measures enabling interim invoices to be raised. They are now able to claim hardship payments, for example, which have been expedited. Millions of pounds in extra funding is being provided for not-for-profit providers.

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