Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the level of legal aid in the context of recent increases in the cost of living.

Legal aid is a vital part of the justice system. It underpins our plans to build a justice system that works for victims, supports access to justice, and ultimately upholds the rule of law.

We are keen to understand the different ways the legal aid system can be improved to ensure each part works to the best of its ability. We will be carefully considering our options on the way forward including the evidence gathered over the past year on civil legal aid.

This Government understands the challenges related to legal aid eligibility and we are assessing the appropriate next steps. We are also seeking to implement changes to the means test that will extend the range of payments which may or must be disregarded from the legal aid means assessment.