Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Covid-19: Legal Aid Sector Support

Tuesday 16 March 2021 · 3 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 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Support measures for the legal aid sector during the pandemic include expanded hardship payments, relaxed evidence requirements, increased opportunities for payment on account in civil cases, halted pursuit of outstanding debts owed by providers, and suspension of sanctions.
  • For criminal lawyers, the threshold for hardship payments has been reduced from 5,000 to 450 to assist with cash flow and maintain court throughput.
  • Phase 1 of the Criminal Legal Aid Review has injected 51 million into criminal legal aid fees, the most significant investment in a quarter century.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Sarah Olney Lib Dem Richmond Park
Justice & Courts Benefits & Welfare
Context

The question arises due to the legal aid sector's challenges during the covid-19 outbreak, including financial strain and case backlog.

Question

What support is being provided to the legal aid sector during the current pandemic?

Answer from Robert Buckland

We have expanded hardship payments, relaxed evidence requirements, increased opportunities to claim payment on account in civil cases, halted pursuit of outstanding debts owed by providers, and suspended sanctions. These are in addition to other measures to support the sector during this crisis.

Answered
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Q2 Sarah Olney Lib Dem Richmond Park
Justice & Courts Employment
Context

Concerns about legal aid lawyers' cash flow due to the backlog of Crown court cases and payment conditions.

Question

With 56,544 outstanding Crown court cases at the end of January, what steps have been taken to assist legal aid lawyers with their cash flow?

Answer from Robert Buckland

We have reduced the threshold for work done by criminal lawyers from £5,000 to £450 for hardship payments and relaxed evidence requirements. These steps aim to maintain court throughput as we move through the year with a proactive listing strategy.

Answered
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Q3 Karl Turner Ind Kingston upon Hull East
Justice & Courts Women & Equalities
Context

The concern is about the number of criminal legal aid firms declining, impacting domestic abuse victims' representation.

Question

With over 400 fewer criminal legal aid firms today compared to 2015, leading to a rise in unrepresented domestic abuse victims, does the Secretary of State agree that action must be taken before the CLAR recommendations are implemented?

Answer from Robert Buckland

Phase 1 of CLAR has already injected £51 million into criminal legal aid fees, the most significant investment in a quarter century. The new chair, Sir Christopher Bellamy QC, is engaging with professionals to ensure sustainability and representation for those in need.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Immediate action before CLAR recommendations implementation was not confirmed

How: Working On Existing Evidence, New Chair Engagement

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