What's new

The Government has today published its response to the Constitutional Affairs Committee report on the legal aid reform programme.

This confirms the Government’s and the LSC’s intention to proceed with the reforms set out in Legal Aid Reform: the Way Ahead (November 2006). 

The LSC has today published fee schemes and consultation papers that continue our implementation of the reforms.

Fee schemes

Final fixed fee schemes for family and family mediation, mental health and police station work have been published today, together with changes to the Funding Code for child care proceedings.

We have made changes to these schemes to reflect views expressed in responses to our consultations. A Regulatory Impact Assessment accompanies each paper.

Within the next few days we also expect to publish a consultation on proposals to introduce a graduated fee scheme for litigators in the Crown Court.

These schemes continue the process of implementing fixed and graduated fees in all major elements of the legal aid scheme.

More information on future steps in this process and the introduction of best value tendering is given in a letter to providers from LSC Chief Executive Carolyn Regan that accompanies the schemes. You can view or download this letter below.

Consultation on Duty Solicitor Slot Allocation

The further consultation announced today sets out alternative options for duty solicitor slot allocation for Police Station and magistrates’ court work from October 2007.

Consultation on Quality Assurance for Criminal Advocates

We have today announced a joint consultation with the Ministry of Justice on an important element of this: a proposed quality assurance scheme for publicly funded criminal advocates practising at Crown Court level and above.

For more information

Letter from Carolyn Regan (PDF, 47 kb)

Read our press release in the About us>Newsroom section.