Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if his Department will publish the funding agreements for Legal Aid Agency's contracts that are expected to commence from September 2022.

A procurement process for Criminal Legal Aid Services is ongoing. The deadline for submitting a tender closed at 5pm on 20 November 2021 and applicants have been notified of the outcome of their application. Contracts awarded under this procurement process are scheduled to commence on 1 October 2022. Copies of the draft Contracts are available online Standard Crime Contract 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

The specific levels of remuneration payable under this contract are set out in Regulations - The Criminal Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013 (as amended.) Funding for legal aid is on a demand led basis; the Legal Aid Agency does not have a specific budget allocation for delivery of legal aid services under its contracts.