Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to help increase recruitment of underrepresented groups into the legal profession.

The legal profession in England and Wales is independent of Government. Statutory responsibility for encouraging a diverse legal profession sits with the approved regulators, overseen by the oversight regulator, the Legal Services Board (LSB).

The LSB has a broad programme of work aimed at encouraging a diverse workforce, including guidance for legal services regulators, research on the experiences of legal professionals from different backgrounds and initiatives designed to address counter-inclusive practices that act as barriers to recruitment, retention and progression. The LSB will consult on updated expectations for regulators on their approach to equality, diversity and inclusion.

The Government’s response to the recommendations of the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review, published in 2022, said that we will explore what can be done to make duty solicitor work easier for those with caring responsibilities to improve the gender balance among duty solicitors. We will also ask the Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board to investigate the disparities in income based on gender and race.