Subject to consultation, an additional £20 million will be
invested into the legal aid sector every year, once fully
implemented, making sure vulnerable people forced into unfair
housing legal battles and at risk of losing their home have
access to legal advice.
The investment will also support lawyers who provide advice to
victims of modern slavery and trafficking, and domestic abuse.
This will help ensure that the most vulnerable are better able to
navigate a complex legal system and get access to justice.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice said:
Civil legal aid plays a crucial role in our justice system,
providing legal support for vulnerable people thereby helping to
ensure access to justice.
This Government is determined to improve the civil legal aid
sector which was left neglected for years. This is an important
step as we rebuild our justice system, ensuring it is fit for
purpose for the society it serves and those who serve within it.
A consultation on these increases will launch in January and
forms part of the government's wider plans to make the legal aid
sector more sustainable and tackle the backlog in civil courts.
Last month, it was announced that criminal legal aid will be
bolstered by £24 million so that solicitors who work in police
stations and Youth Courts will be backed with additional funding,
helping to address ongoing challenges in the criminal justice
system.
Today's fee uplift marks the first step in the government's
response to the evidence gathered as part of the Review of Civil
Legal Aid. This demonstrated that both the housing and
immigration sectors are under particularly acute pressure.
Fees for other civil legal aid categories remain under
consideration.
Notes to editors
On Civil Legal Aid:
- in January 2025, the government will consult on increasing
legal aid fees for those working in the housing (housing and
debt) and immigration (immigration and asylum) sectors, aiming to
increase fees to a rate in the region of £65/£69 per hour
(non-London/London), or provide a 10% uplift, whichever is
higher. Fixed fees will be uplifted by an amount proportional to
the increase in the underlying hourly rate for that
work. This will be implemented in 2025-26 with costs scaling
up to £20 million by 2027-28.
- We will continue to consider the fees paid in other
categories of civil legal aid, including as part of the second
phase of the Government's spending review, due in Spring
2025.
On The Review of Civil Legal Aid (RoCLA)
- The government is committed to ensuring the civil legal aid
system is effective, efficient and sustainable.
- Evidence gathered from the Review of Civil Legal Aid think
(RoCLA) presents findings on the experiences of citizens who
access legal aid and the providers who deliver this vital
service, and will continue to help inform policy
development.
- Today the Government has published five reports from the
Review of Civil Legal Aid (RoCLA), which present evidence on some
of the key challenges facing the civil legal aid system.
On Criminal Legal aid for solicitors:
- Changes will come into force on 6 December 2024.
- Earlier this month the government announced a £24 million
injection into police station and youth court fees – £3 million
more than what the previous administration proposed. Of the total
investment, £18.5 million will go into the police station fee
scheme to begin the process of removing financial disparities and
harmonising payments. We will also introduce a separate Youth
Court fee scheme into which £5.1 million will be invested. Under
the new scheme there will be enhanced fees for the most serious
offences.
- £0.4 million is being set aside to pay for travel time for
providers in areas with fewer than two providers and the Isle of
Wight, and providers willing to travel from surrounding schemes
into those areas.
- Changes will come into force on 6 December 2024
