Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to help support smaller solicitors' practices in rural areas to (a) prevent their closure and (b) maintain local choice.

The Government recognises the vital role that solicitors’ practices play in supporting access to justice and sustaining local economies, including in rural communities. However, solicitors’ firms operate as independent businesses, and decisions about where they open, or close are commercial matters for those firms.

The Ministry of Justice works closely with representative and regulatory bodies, including the Law Society, the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), and the Legal Services Board (LSB), to help ensure that the wider legal services market remains effective, competitive, and accessible to people across England and Wales.

The Government is also taking wider steps to support the sustainability of the legal aid and legal services sectors. Ensuring that solicitors and firms remain able to operate effectively across England and Wales underpins the justice system as a whole.