Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when she expects the Legal Aid Agency's digital services covering civil legal aid will return online; and what recent discussions she has had with the Legal Aid Agency on this matter.

We expect that the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) digital platform and services will begin to be restored from early September onwards and this will be a phased return. The LAA has written to representative bodies and providers to update them that the old Portal will be replaced by a new, secure single sign-in tool for LAA online services (SiLAS). This represents a recovery and transformation model which has been subject to testing by a small pilot group throughout August. This is subject to testing, security and legal criteria being met.

The expected phased restoration is as follows:

• In mid-September, Crime systems (Crime Apply, and Submit a Crime Form) will be available for access.

• From mid to late September, Civil systems (Civil Apply, and the Client and Cost Management System (CCMS)) will be available for access.

• Services relating to functionality previously provided by the Controlled Work Administration (CWA) system are expected to return from October.

The LAA continues to engage with representative bodies to help shape the steps to service restoration in a way which supports legal aid providers most effectively. Regular updates are being provided to providers. The LAA continues to publish information and updates about SiLAS on its FAQ page: Legal Aid Agency cyber security incident: frequently asked questions - GOV.UK.