The Justice Committee today launches an inquiry into the
future of legal aid, in light of concerns raised during the
coronavirus pandemic about pressures on the system.
The Committee has heard about difficulty getting legal aid
assistance in some parts of the country, and from lawyers about
the financial problems raised by current fees and reduced
work.
The legal aid system in England and Wales was fundamentally
changed by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders
Act 2012 (LASPO). Since then there have been a number of
legislative changes and post-legislative reviews of LASPO.
The Justice Committee examined the changes to civil legal
aid in 2014 and the changes to criminal legal aid in 2018.
This inquiry aims to look ahead to the future of legal aid,
to identify the major challenges facing clients and providers and
how they might be tackled.
The inquiry is especially keen to hear about the
sustainability of the legal aid market, the impact of Covid-19
and the increasing reliance on digital technology to deliver
legal advice and court services.
Submissions should be made by 5.00pm on Monday 19 October
via the website,
including on these terms of reference:
-
How LASPO has affected access to justice views on
the post-implementation review and the criminal legal aid
review;
-
The role of the Legal Aid Agency;
-
Recruitment and retention problems among legal aid
professionals;
-
The impact of the court reform programme and the
increasing use of technology on legal aid services and
clients;
-
The impact of Covid-19 on legal aid services and
clients; and
-
What the challenges are for legal aid over the next
decade, what reforms are needed and what can be learnt from
elsewhere.
