Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support she is providing to legal aid providers in (a) rural and (b) semi-rural areas.

Citizens in England and Wales meeting the eligibility criteria should be able to access legal aid services regardless of where they live.

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is responsible for commissioning legal aid services, and it monitors the numbers of providers in each procurement area and across all categories of law. It takes operational action where it can, to respond to market pressures that may arise and works closely with the Ministry of Justice on policy solutions concerning the supply of legal aid.

The Ministry of Justice has undertaken a comprehensive review of civil legal aid and recently published its response: Civil legal aid: Towards a sustainable future, consultation response - GOV.UK. We have confirmed that we are increasing fees for all housing & debt, and immigration & asylum legal aid work. This is a significant investment of £20 million a year– the first increase since 1996. In addition, the Department is looking at other potential changes that could support providers, for example, (civil) contractual requirements regarding provider offices and limits to the provision of remote legal aid that providers say are burdensome. Any changes would aim to give providers more autonomy in meeting client need, while maintaining effective in-person provision for clients who need this.

As part of the £24 million increase for criminal solicitors implemented in 2024, the Ministry of Justice is paying for travel time for solicitors who work or commute to work in a small number of scheme areas with fewer than two legal aid providers.