Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what analysis his Department has undertaken on the potential impact of the proposed Interest on Lawyers’ Client Accounts scheme on the financial viability of legal aid providers.

The Department has engaged with a range of relevant stakeholders to help shape policy proposals. We have engaged with firms that undertake legal aid work, as well as representative bodies, through bilateral engagement, legal aid providers’ roundtables and our recent consultation.

We have also been working with relevant experts to consider the potential impacts of an ILCA scheme and the consultation collected evidence on the administration of the scheme and regulatory challenges.

We are currently considering all the evidence received through engagement as part of our ongoing policy development and consultation response.