Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of legal aid for people who have extended or multiple hearings in family courts.

This Government recognises the vital role that legal aid plays in supporting individuals involved in family proceedings, including long and complex cases that involve multiple hearings.

Legal aid remains available throughout eligible family proceedings regardless of length or complexity. This ensures that individuals who qualify for support can continue to receive legal advice and representation where required, as long as they continue to satisfy the relevant statutory requirements. The family legal aid fee schemes make provision for representation at multiple hearings, including fact-finding and final hearings. There is no prescribed upper limit on the number of hearings for which representation may be provided, nor the overall length of proceedings.

The Government keeps family legal aid provision under review and we regularly engage with legal aid providers and representative bodies to understand how legal aid is operating in practice.