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To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of community care lawyers in the light of the findings of the report by Dr Jo Wilding, Community Care Legal Aid in England and Wales: Urgent help needed, published in July.
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase the number of community care lawyers in the light of the findings of the report by Dr Jo Wilding, Community Care Legal Aid in England and Wales: Urgent help needed, published in July.
This Government recognises the vital work of Community Care lawyers in supporting those who are vulnerable, and the importance legal aid can have in helping vulnerable people access justice.
The Government recognises the pressures facing civil legal aid and is investing in the sector. We have secured additional funding of over £200 million over the Spending Review period for legal aid transformation, recovery from the cyber-attack, and for moving our legacy systems to a modern and secure technology platform. The transformation programme aims to support sustainability for all providers – including those undertaking community care legal aid work – by ensuring new digital systems streamline processes and reduce administrative burdens.
In preparation for the 2028 Standard Civil Contract, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) will engage with stakeholders to gather views on how best to support the sustainability of the market. These insights will inform LAA’s approach and help shape future contracts that support providers in delivering high-quality legal aid services.
The Government is making significant investments in legal aid. We are delivering the first major fee uplifts for civil legal aid since 1996, increasing spend on immigration and housing work by £20 million per annum once fully implemented. Whilst these investments are not targeted at community care legal aid specifically, they are important steps towards improving services and sustainability across the civil legal aid system.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase availability of legal aid to people who are victims of violence against women and girls, particularly in relation to people who wish to pursue judicial review.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to increase availability of legal aid to people who are victims of violence against women and girls, particularly in relation to people who wish to pursue judicial review.
This Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in the next decade. As part of delivering this mission, we are committed to ensuring that victims of VAWG can access justice, including through the legal aid system.
Civil legal aid remains available for eligible judicial review proceedings, subject to the statutory eligibility criteria being met. Legal aid is also available for private family matters such as child arrangements, financial remedy proceedings and divorce if an individual is a victim of domestic abuse or at risk of being abused. Funding is also subject to providing the required evidence of domestic abuse and passing the means and merits tests.
We have amended legislation to ensure that legal aid continues to be available for victims of domestic abuse. This includes making legal aid available for eligible domestic abuse victims whose immigration status depended on an abusive partner enabling them to apply to regularise their immigration status, as well as providing availability for Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders. The changes also permit the use of overseas medical evidence for legal aid applications, and we have updated legislation and guidance to reflect the changes in terminology and definitions. The Government is also reviewing domestic abuse evidence requirements to ensure they do not create barriers to accessing legal aid.
The civil legal aid equity disregard is available to all individuals, including victims of domestic abuse, applying for legal aid. This means that £100,000 of the value of a person’s interest in their main residence will not be considered [when assessing capital] within the legal aid means test.
This Government has extended the equity disregard so it can also apply to victims of domestic abuse who have temporarily left their home, though it is still in essence their main residence in which they have an interest. This change recognises that while victims may own property, they may be unable to benefit from the home due to the presence of an abuser. The equity disregard also applies to means testing for legal aid in relation to judicial review.
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when the Justice Impact Test for the draft Conversion Practices Bill will be completed; and what estimate she has made of the annual costs arising from (a) police investigations, (b) Crown Prosecution Service work, (c) legal aid, (d) court proceedings, (e) imprisonment,...
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when the Justice Impact Test for the draft Conversion Practices Bill will be completed; and what estimate she has made of the annual costs arising from (a) police investigations, (b) Crown Prosecution Service work, (c) legal aid, (d) court proceedings, (e) imprisonment,...
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has been made of levels of gaps in access to legal aid for family law cases.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has been made of levels of gaps in access to legal aid for family law cases.
This Government recognises the vital role that legal aid plays in supporting individuals in family proceedings. In 2024/25, the Government spent £854 million on the provision of family legal aid (£196 million on private family, and £658 milion on public family), and we continue to keep family legal aid policy under review.
In terms of geographic accessibility, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) commissions family legal aid services across geographic areas called procurement areas, and the LAA monitors the number of providers holding family legal aid contracts across England and Wales. The LAA’s standard is that there is a minimum of five family legal aid providers per procurement area. All procurement areas for family legal aid have legal aid coverage, although nine procurement areas currently have fewer than the commissioning standard of five providers.
These levels have remained stable since contracts commenced in September 2024, with no evidence that access to justice has been adversely affected, as individuals can access face to face services in neighbouring procurement areas or via remote means. Providers frequently operate across multiple areas and deliver services through a combination of local provision, outreach and remote advice. Where provision is lower than the commissioning standard, targeted engagement action has been taken to attract new providers to increase available supply of legal aid services.
Information about the number of legal aid contract holders is published as part of the LAA’s Official Statistics: Legal aid statistics quarterly: October to December 2025 - GOV.UK [Tables 9.1-9.8].
A detailed breakdown by procurement area in each category can be accessed via the Legal Aid Provider Contract Statistics Dashboard: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/a-guide-to-legal-aid-statistics-in-england-and-wales/legal-aid-statistics-data-visualisation-tools.
We have also recently made changes to legislation to ensure that legal aid continues to be available for domestic abuse victims. This includes ensuring legal aid is available for all victims of domestic abuse who can apply for leave to enter or remain in the UK, and to provide comprehensive availability of legal aid in respect to Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders. We are also conducting a review of the domestic abuse evidence requirements which need to be satisfied in order to access legal aid for private family matters. This is to ensure that they are not a barrier to victims accessing legal aid.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate legal aid funding for low-income defendants.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate legal aid funding for low-income defendants.
In England and Wales, legal aid for defendants appearing at the magistrates’ court and Crown Court is means tested. The income thresholds are different in each court.
All defendants at the Crown Court are eligible for legal aid provided their annual disposable income is less than £37,500, although some may have to pay contributions. Convicted defendants may be required to pay contributions on their capital assets above £30k. The magistrates’ court test only considers income, with no contributions payable.
Defendants in receipt of specified welfare benefits may be ‘passported’ through the means test at both courts. This includes all defendants in receipt of Universal Credit and Guaranteed State Pension Credit who are deemed eligible for legal aid. All youth defendants under 18 years old are also passported through the means test.
There is also a hardship review mechanism in both courts for those defendants who do not pass the legal aid means assessment but face higher than usual household expenditure or higher than usual private defence costs.
The court duty solicitor scheme at the magistrates’ court may provide non-means tested legal representation to a defendant at their first hearing if they have been charged with an imprisonable offence.
The Government is currently considering the implications of the reforms being introduced by the Courts and Tribunals Bill in relation to criminal legal aid eligibility.
This Government has also taken steps to strengthen the criminal legal aid system overall, helping to maintain high-quality legal representation for low-income defendants. In December 2025, we announced additional funding of up to £34 million a year for criminal legal aid advocates.
This is in addition to the significant uplifts to criminal legal aid solicitor fees this Government has already implemented – which will be worth around an additional £116 million per year once in steady state.
Government new clause 8, discussed with Government new clause 9, new clauses 1 to 7, 10, 11, amendments and Government amendments. Government new clauses 8 and 9 agreed to. Amendment 3 negatived on division (93 votes to 323). Government amendments 151 to 168, 26, 28, 32, 33, 37 to 42 agreed to. Amendment 199 negatived on division (102 votes to 409). Amendment 19 negatived on division (104 votes to 412). Government amendments 43 to 72, 169 to 177, 76, 178, 179, 78, 180 to 182, 79, 80, 183 to 197, 91, 198, and 93 to 142 agreed to. King's Consent signified. Third reading agreed to on question and the Bill passed. Ordered, That the period on the expiry of which proceedings on the Public Office (Accountability) Bill shall lapse in pursuance of paragraph (13) of Standing Order No. 80A shall be extended by 136 days until 29 January 2027.
Government new clause 8, discussed with Government new clause 9, new clauses 1 to 7, 10, 11, amendments and Government amendments. Government new clauses 8 and 9 agreed to. Amendment 3 negatived on division (93 votes to 323). Government amendments 151 to 168, 26, 28, 32, 33, 37 to 42...
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.
It is an absolute privilege to bring the Bill back to the House on Report. I know that Members across the House have long supported it and have been waiting for its return.
At its heart, this legislation is about what people should expect from the state when the worst happens:...
It is an absolute privilege to bring the Bill back to the House on Report. I know that Members across the House have long supported it and have been waiting for its return.
At its heart, this legislation is about what people should expect from the state when the worst happens:...
Will the Minister give way?
Will the Minister give way?
I am going to make some progress, but I will give way.
It is essential that there is accountability, not denial, so that those affected get the support they need, not obstruction. We often refer to this Bill as the Hillsborough law. Without the determination of the Hillsborough families, we would...
I am going to make some progress, but I will give way.
It is essential that there is accountability, not denial, so that those affected get the support they need, not obstruction. We often refer to this Bill as the Hillsborough law. Without the determination of the Hillsborough families, we would...
Will the Minister give way?
Will the Minister give way?
I will make some progress, and then I will take interventions.
Many have graciously—often at huge personal and emotional cost—shared their experiences with us to shape the Bill. The changes that it brings forward are so needed. It is thanks to their campaigning, perseverance and willingness to work with us to...
I will make some progress, and then I will take interventions.
Many have graciously—often at huge personal and emotional cost—shared their experiences with us to shape the Bill. The changes that it brings forward are so needed. It is thanks to their campaigning, perseverance and willingness to work with us to...
I am proud to have sponsored the original proposal, promoted by the hon. Member for Liverpool West Derby (Ian Byrne), and I salute the survivors and the victims’ families. I am glad that the UK Government have listened to them, and that the Bill reflects the level of accountability required...
I am proud to have sponsored the original proposal, promoted by the hon. Member for Liverpool West Derby (Ian Byrne), and I salute the survivors and the victims’ families. I am glad that the UK Government have listened to them, and that the Bill reflects the level of accountability required...
I thank the right hon. Member for her intervention. She has my assurance that we are clear that the Bill needs to apply across the United Kingdom, and we are working with devolved nations to ensure that happens.
I thank the right hon. Member for her intervention. She has my assurance that we are clear that the Bill needs to apply across the United Kingdom, and we are working with devolved nations to ensure that happens.
The Minister is making a passionate and important speech about a long-overdue piece of legislation. Freddie Scappaticci was the agent known as Stakeknife in the IRA. He was involved in lots of murders, but the Government have yet to unmask him as Scappaticci. Will the Bill put an end to...
The Minister is making a passionate and important speech about a long-overdue piece of legislation. Freddie Scappaticci was the agent known as Stakeknife in the IRA. He was involved in lots of murders, but the Government have yet to unmask him as Scappaticci. Will the Bill put an end to...
I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. We are seeking a full culture change, and are trying to prevent any kind of attitude of covering things up. I am happy to meet him further to discuss that specific case.
All the work that has been undertaken has enabled us to...
I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. We are seeking a full culture change, and are trying to prevent any kind of attitude of covering things up. I am happy to meet him further to discuss that specific case.
All the work that has been undertaken has enabled us to...
Will the Minister give way?
Will the Minister give way?
I am going to make some progress, and then I will take interventions again.
The amendments before the House ensure that the duty of candour and assistance applies to all individual intelligence officers, while establishing secure procedures for the disclosure of sensitive information. First, the Bill as introduced did not allow...
I am going to make some progress, and then I will take interventions again.
The amendments before the House ensure that the duty of candour and assistance applies to all individual intelligence officers, while establishing secure procedures for the disclosure of sensitive information. First, the Bill as introduced did not allow...