Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to increase the number of legal aid providers in Wales.

The Government has taken steps to review the long-term sustainability of the Criminal Legal Aid market across England and Wales. In 2020 we injected up to £51m per annum into Criminal Legal Aid, in areas of work that practitioners told us mattered the most. In December 2021 the report for the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review was published, which considered a number of issues including the sustainability of the whole Criminal Legal Aid system so that it can meet demand now and into the future. It is our aim to publish the Government response no later than the end of March 2022 alongside a consultation on our related policy proposals.

In addition, MoJ continues to consider the provision of civil legal aid across England and Wales, recognising that we need to take a whole system approach. The department has been engaging with representative bodies and providers within the sector to increase our understanding of the challenges providers currently face. The Legal Aid Agency also continue to keep legal aid provision under constant review, ensuring access across England and Wales and taking immediate action whenever this could be threatened.