Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress his Department has made in reviewing the legal aid means test.

The Government announced the review of the legal aid means test on 7 February 2019, as part of the Legal Support Action Plan.

The review will consider the full range of means-testing criteria including the applicable thresholds for legal aid entitlement and their interaction with wider criteria.

The review is in progress, bringing together data, evidence and expertise, and liaising with experts from across the field to explore potential improvements to the system.

This comprehensive review of the legal aid eligibility regime is expected to conclude in summer 2020 after which we will publish a full consultation paper setting out our future policy on the proposals in this area. We will seek to implement any final recommendations as soon as practicable following public consultation.