Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to using unspent funds from the legal aid budget for this financial year to fund law centres and other legal aid providers, based on what they would have received in any six month period, to ensure their viability.

Data on legal aid expenditure is released quarterly by the Legal Aid Agency, with the next release scheduled for September.

MoJ is continuing to work closely with the Legal Aid Agency and HMCTS to assess the impact of Covid-19 on legal aid provision, and we are working closely with the sector to identify whether further support is required.

We have already introduced measures to support the sector, such as paying for virtual hearings in the same way as in-person hearings, halting pursuit of outstanding debts, relaxing some evidence requirements, and encouraging legal practitioners to use existing avenues of financial help, such as the ability to apply for early payment for work already done on a case. We have already put in place measures to bring forward funding by expanding the scope and evidence requirements for payment for work in progress in Crown Court cases.

We have recently announced that we will be providing £5.4m in funding to not-for-profit providers of specialist legal advice, including Law Centres, which should go some way to helping them address immediate cashflow problems and ensure they remain able to provide support for the communities they serve.