Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 55645 on Legal Aid Scheme: Rural Areas, what data her Department holds on the average (a) travel distance and (b) waiting time for residents to access in-person legal aid services in (i) rural and (ii) urban areas.

Citizens in England and Wales should be able to access legal aid services regardless of where they live, provided they meet the relevant eligibility criteria. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is responsible for commissioning legal aid services, and it monitors the numbers of providers in each procurement area and across all categories of law. It takes operational action where it can, to respond to market pressures that may arise and works closely with the Ministry of Justice on policy solutions concerning the supply of legal aid.

Greater use of technology can enable people to access a wide range of specialist advice from across the country. For example, legal advice for education, discrimination, housing and debt issues is always available through the Civil Legal Advice telephone service, wherever you are in England and Wales.

As part of the £24 million increase for criminal solicitors implemented in 2024, the Ministry of Justice is paying for travel time for solicitors who work or commute to work in a small number of scheme areas with fewer than two legal aid providers, as well as the Isle of Wight.

The Department continues to monitor office locations and travel distances between providers and clients as part of its assessment of geographical coverage.

The Government’s grant funding of over £6 million going to 60 frontline organisations in 2025/26 funds charitable, benevolent or philanthropic organisations delivering legal support and information services in relation to a range of social welfare legal problems. Organisations include some local Citizen’s Advice centres, Shelter and Law Centres, who provide legal support services across England and Wales, including in rural areas, with some organisations also providing outreach services. Online services delivered by organisations like AdviceNow also provide support and information to individuals in relation to civil, family and tribunal matters regardless of location. The Advicenow website includes information about how to get legal aid in relevant areas of law and signposts users to further information and support.