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Written question asked by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour) on Thursday, 16 May 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 20 May 2024. It was answered by Mike Freer (Conservative) on Thursday, 23 May 2024 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Duty Solicitors: Finance

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for criminal defence solicitors.

Answer

In responding to the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review (CLAIR), we boosted the system with upfront investment to address the most urgent concerns.

On 29 January, we published a consultation on proposed reforms to the Police Station Fee Scheme and the Youth Court, for which we propose an additional £16 million for police station work and £5.1 million for the Youth Court of funding per year. The consultation has now closed, and we are in the process of analysing the responses and considering the next steps. The government response will be published in due course.

We expect our reforms to criminal legal aid will increase investment in the solicitor profession by up to £85 million every year, including a 30% increase in funding for solicitors’ work in police stations and a 20% increase for their work in magistrates’ courts, once we introduce the additional £21 million per year allocated to these areas (subject to the consultation).

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
26718
Session
2023-24
Subjects
Finance Duty solicitors
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk