Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of suspending claim frequency limits for civil legal aid practitioners.

We have already taken steps to provide emergency support for work completed on paper-based certificates, with contingency measures temporarily in place for payments on account. These special payments on account will not be subject to payment at 75%, nor will they be restricted to two claims in 12 months. Further guidance on these arrangements can be found at https://ccmstraining.justice.gov.uk/training-resources/billing-contingency-measures.

For non-paper-based certificates, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) are reviewing the two claims limit as a matter of urgency.

The LAA is working to ensure it can continue to support the legal aid sector, helping them maintain access to justice for their clients at this time. The LAA has published guidance on the support available to the legal sector including claiming a payment on account, to provide financial assistance for costs incurred by practitioners over the course of a legal aid certificate. This guidance can be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/financial-relief-for-legal-aid-practitioners.

Timescales for the payments of civil bills are published at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/civil-processing-dates, and claims are currently being considered within three working days of being received.

The MoJ and LAA continue to review the impact of covid-19 on legal aid practitioners, and ensure that the most vulnerable in society are provided with the representation they need.