Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lloyd Russell-Moyle and Alex Chalk

Tuesday 9th June 2020 Commons Chamber

[Alex Chalk]

Legal aid is absolutely vital in a fair society. It is one of the vital bulwarks of our liberty, and we take extremely seriously the needs of legal aid providers. Steps have been taken to ensure that where there is money in the system—more than £400 million—that is more easily available for practitioners to draw down, so that they can be helped to weather the storm. That is of course over and above other schemes that apply to legal aid practitioners as to everyone else, whether that is the furlough scheme or the bounce-back loans scheme. Those measures are in place to keep these vital providers in business so that they can continue to do their important work.

[Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Brighton, Kemptown) (Lab/Co-op)]

If he will make a statement on his departmental responsibilities.