Value for Money from Legal Aid

Public Accounts Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 10 Jan 2024 Closed: 28 May 2024 Parliament page
The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO), implemented in 2013, significantly reduced the scope of legal aid in England and Wales, which provides legal services for those who are eligible, largely those who cannot afford to pay. LASPO succeeded in helping reduce the scheme’s expenditure from approximately … Read more
19 Recommendations
5 Conclusions
1 Report
1 Oral session
8 Letters
1 Event
Activity timeline 12 events
11 Jul
2025
Report published
24 May
2024
Report published
21 May
2024
Correspondence
20 May
2024
Correspondence
15 Apr
2024
Correspondence
15 Apr
2024
Correspondence
15 Apr
2024
Correspondence
15 Apr
2024
Correspondence
15 Apr
2024
Correspondence
25 Mar
2024
Oral evidence
25 Mar
2024
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
18 Mar
2024
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 1 session
25 Mar 2024
View on parliament.uk
Value for money from legal aid
Antonia Romeo · Ministry of Justice Jane Harbottle · Legal Aid Agency Jason Latham · HM Courts and Tribunals Service Jerome Glass · Ministry of Justice
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Thirty-Third Report - Value for Money from Legal Aid HC 481 24 May 2024 24 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
3 results
Clear
9 Conclusion Not Addressed
Thirty-Third Report - Value for Mo…
Remote legal aid provision's suitability for vulnerable groups remains unclear without data.
LAA explained that for some places where there are local gaps in legal aid providers, people could seek remote advice from providers elsewhere in the country, providers in neighbouring areas or via its telephone service. MoJ stated there were some … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Target implementation date: Spring 2026. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) monitors the supply and distribution of providers; holds regular qualitative discussions with providers which includes their workload; and liaises with the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) if a policy remedy ought to be considered.
HM Treasury
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13 Conclusion Not Addressed
Thirty-Third Report - Value for Mo…
Exceptional Case Funding for immigration suffers severe provider capacity issues
The government also runs a separate Exceptional Case Funding (ECF) scheme for legal aid, intended as a safety net to provide legal aid for people whose human rights would be breached without it.32 Immigration cases that are no longer within … Read more
Government Response
The government response addresses a separate recommendation about access to legal aid for immigration matters and the ECF scheme, not the initial conclusion regarding challenges in finding a legal aid provider.
HM Treasury
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16 Conclusion Not Addressed
Thirty-Third Report - Value for Mo…
Wage inflation significantly reduced legal aid eligibility, making minimum wage earners often ineligible
Considerable wage inflation means the proportion of the population now eligible for legal aid has fallen. From 2012–13 to 2020–21, the proportion of UK income taxpayers eligible for civil legal aid decreased by 11 percentage points (73% to 62%). There … Read more
Government Response
The government response addresses a separate recommendation about reviewing financial eligibility thresholds and doesn't acknowledge the initial conclusion about considerable wage inflation.
HM Treasury
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Government Response AI assessment · 24 of 19 classified
Accepted 20
Acknowledged 1
Not Addressed 3
Total 19 recs + 5 conclusions
Correspondence 8 letters
21 May 2024 Correspondence from Richard Price, Director General – Performance, Strategy and Analysis, Ministry of Justice, re Committee hearing on 25 March 2024 on the “Value for Money from Legal Aid” update, dated 16 May 2024
Parliament page
20 May 2024 Correspondence from Richard Orpin, Interim CEO, Legal Services Board, re Legal Services Board’s response to call for evidence on value for money from legal aid, dated 16 May 2024
Parliament page
15 Apr 2024 Correspondence from Jane Harbottle, Chief Executive, Legal Aid Agency, re Public Accounts Committee Value for Money from Legal Aid – 25 March oral evidence follow up, dated 3 April 2024
Parliament page
15 Apr 2024 Correspondence from Jerome Glass, Director General, Policy, Ministry of Justice, re Value for Money from Legal Aid, dated 3 April 2024
Parliament page
15 Apr 2024 Correspondence from Nick Goodwin, Chief Executive, HM Courts & Tribunals Service, re Value for Money from Legal Aid, dated 3 April 2024
Parliament page
15 Apr 2024 Correspondence from Nick Goodwin, Chief Executive, HM Courts & Tribunals Service, re Value For Money From Legal Aid, dated 3 April 2024
Parliament page
15 Apr 2024 Correspondence from Jane Harbottle, Chief Executive, Legal Aid Agency, re Public Accounts Committee Value for Money from Legal Aid – 25 March oral evidence follow up, dated 3 April 2024
Parliament page
18 Mar 2024 Correspondence from Lord Bellamy KC, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, re Legal aid means test review: implementation update, dated 12 March 2024
Parliament page