PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Legal Aid Agency: Finance (4 March 2022)

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the financial impact on Legal Aid Agency organisations of not yet publishing the funding agreements for the Legal Aid Agency's contracts, expected to commence from September 2022.

Asked by:
Darren Jones (Labour)

It is unclear what is meant by the term funding agreements in this context.

Payment for legal aid work carried out under the current and any future legal aid contracts is subject to the rates and provisions of published legislation, namely:

• The Criminal Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013
• The Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013

These regulations are subject to amendment during the life of the contract.

Funding for legal aid is on a demand led basis; the Legal Aid Agency does not have a specific budget allocation for delivery of legal aid services under its contracts.

Details about future legal aid contracts, including current tender opportunities, are published on GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/topic/legal-aid-for-providers/tenders.

Answered by:
James Cartlidge (Conservative)
9 March 2022