Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect on access to justice of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

The Government is currently undertaking a post-implementation review of the impact of the legal aid changes made under Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) and remains committed to publishing the findings by the end of this year.

The post-implementation review will assess the extent to which LASPO targeted legal aid to those who need it most – which was one of the objectives set out at the time of the reforms.

It is right that we take time to review the evidence gathered from our engagement with experts and interested parties from across the field, to establish the impact of the changes.

We are using this opportunity to inform our wider consideration on the future of legal support in the justice system.