Responding to the UK government's response to the Justice
Committee's Access to Justice: Legal
Aid report, Law Society of England and Wales president, Brett
Dixon, said:
The Justice Committee's report makes a compelling case for
accessible legal aid, yet the UK government has failed to engage
in good faith with its recommendations. We are pleased to see the
committee recognise the government's inadequate response,
particularly around court reforms and investment in civil legal
aid that covers family, housing and other everyday cases that
affect people's lives.
If the government is serious about halving violence against women
and girls, then it must set a date to publish a Family Justice
Strategy with legal aid at its heart.
Access to criminal legal aid must also be central to any reform.
Without it, any attempt at change risks failing people it is
meant to serve.
Lack of criminal legal aid reform is particularly concerning
while changes such as the Courts & Tribunals Bill are
progressing through parliament. The government's response
suggests that the legal aid implications of the Bill are being
treated as an afterthought, which could put justice out of reach
for many people.
If our government truly believes in acting for the common good,
they must guarantee that all of us no matter where we live or how
much money we have have the functioning legal aid system that so
many of us need to access justice.
