Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many firms of solicitors held a criminal legal aid contract on October 2020.

Please note for the figures provided that some firms may have more than one office. There are currently 1,136 firms who hold a Criminal Legal Aid Contract. There are currently 1,471 firms who hold a Civil Legal Aid Contract. This data is correct as at 7 October 2020.

The Legal Aid Agency tracks the number of contracted providers, not the number of individual practitioners who work in either criminal or civil law.

The Legal Aid Agency frequently reviews market capacity to make sure there is adequate provision around the country and moves quickly to ensure provision where gaps may appear.

Earlier this year we announced an independent review to look at the sustainability of the legal aid market and have introduced changes to inject up £51m per year.