Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the cost to the public purse of an increase in the level of self-representation in courts.

In February 2019, the Ministry of Justice published an extensive, evidence based post-implementation review (PIR) of Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012, which included an objective assessment of the impact of reforms.

Litigants in person do require support to help them navigate the justice system, however it is not accepted that the justice system cannot function with the increased presence of litigants in person, and access to a lawyer is not always the correct or most affordable answer.

Since 2014-15 the MoJ has invested close to £8m to support litigants in person in the civil and family courts through the Litigants in Person Support Strategy. We have committed to increase this support to £3m over the next two years, focusing on broadening the evidence base on how services delivered to litigants in person can be made even more effective.

Through the HMCTS reform programme, the Government is also investing over £1bn to build a modern system for administering justice which will benefit everyone who uses it. By designing systems around the public who need and use our services, we can create a more effective system for them and generate efficiencies for the taxpayer.