Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when the legal aid portal will reopen.

We expect that services will be restored from early September, as part of a phased return. This is subject to testing, security and legal criteria being met.

The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) has written to representative bodies and providers to update them that the Portal will be replaced by a new, secure single sign-in tool for LAA online services (SiLAS). This has been subject to testing by a small pilot group throughout August.

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 and further information will be published on GOV.UK closer to the go live date. In the meantime, 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.