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Lifecycle stage Royal Assent
3,653 days in stage

Criminal Legal Aid Reform

Criminal legal aid reform addresses sustainability and profitability concerns in the criminal defence legal services market, with the Ministry of Justice and Legal Aid Agency reviewing fee structures, implementation timelines, and long-term funding mechanisms. The Criminal Records Bill and related measures are under consideration to modernise the system. The policy is active with ongoing stakeholder consultation and fee review processes.

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7 Jan 2026 | Written evidence linked

Our predecessor Committee’s May 2024 report on legal aid in England and Wales raised concerns around access to legal aid advice in areas of the country lacking face-to-face provision of legal aid. Where there are gaps in provision MoJ and LAA often rely on remote advice to fill the gaps. The Committee stressed that ‘legal aid deserts’, large geographic areas without legal aid providers, risk disproportionately penalising groups that cannot access remote advice. Groups affected can include peo...

Our predecessor Committee’s May 2024 report on legal aid in England and Wales raised concerns around access to legal aid advice in areas of the country lacking face-to-face provision of legal aid. Where there are gaps in provision MoJ and …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK
7 Jan 2026 | Written evidence linked

Written evidence we received from organisations including the Law Society, Public Law Project and Law Centres Network all raised concerns about whether the actions MoJ has taken to date were sufficient or fast enough to tackle long-term sustainability issues.44 For example, the Law Society stressed that for civil legal aid, there is no mechanism to ensure regular fee reviews going forward, no timetable for the implementation of housing and immigration fees and no commitment for increases to o...

Written evidence we received from organisations including the Law Society, Public Law Project and Law Centres Network all raised concerns about whether the actions MoJ has taken to date were sufficient or fast enough to tackle long-term sustainability issues.44 For …

▤ View document · ↗ GOV.UK