Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people without the means to pay are able to access legal (a) advice and (b) representation for social welfare matters in Wales.

In the last financial year, we spent approximately £1 billion on civil legal aid to support the most vulnerable.

We have injected £10 million a year into housing legal aid through the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service (HLPAS). Since the launch of HLPAS in August 2023, individuals in England and Wales who are facing eviction or repossession have been able to receive free early legal advice on housing, debt, and welfare benefits issues.

All HLPAS schemes in Wales are currently served by an in-court duty solicitor who is able to give emergency on the day advice to anyone facing possession proceedings. Additionally, individuals facing the loss of their home can access early legal advice in respect of housing, debt and welfare benefit issues on a remote basis from any HLPAS provider irrespective of their geographic location. The current list of HPLAS providers can be found via this link.

The Ministry of Justice is also providing additional support to providers who deliver HLPAS, funding a panel of specialist legal advisors (available to providers across England and Wales) and providing £1.5 million in grant funding for the recruitment of trainee solicitors in England and Wales. Both measures are intended to boost provider expertise in social welfare law and enhance their ability to deliver legal aid.

The following table is a breakdown of legal aid providers and provider offices in Wales (position as of 2 April 2024). The LAA is satisfied that there is adequate provision of services in Wales across all categories of legal aid, including under the relevant HLPAS schemes.

Wherever you are in England and Wales, legal advice for housing and debt remains available through the civil legal advice telephone service.

Furthermore, since the publication of the Legal Aid Means Test Review (MTR) Consultation Response in May 2023, the Government has been developing detailed implementation plans for the new legal aid means assessment. When fully implemented, this will increase the number of people eligible for civil legal aid in England and Wales by an additional 2.5 million per year.

The Ministry of Justice is also undertaking a Review of Civil Legal Aid to identify evidence-based options for moving to a more effective, efficient, and sustainable system for legal aid providers and the people who rely on legal aid. We will publish reports for all workstreams by May 2024, and plan to consult on proposed options in a Green Paper in July.