CLS news

We remain committed to introducing new contracts in 2010 and making changes to the services we buy and how we pay for them.  Equally, we will continue to provide:

• certainty and stability to civil legal aid providers
• giving them time to adapt to the changes already introduced
• and allowing them to plan properly for future reforms.

Consultation delays

Consultations on Civil Bid Rounds for 2010 Contracts and Family Legal Aid Funding from 2010 were published slightly later than scheduled (last October and December respectively, rather than September). 

• This may affect future milestones outlined in our 'Route map for civil legal aid' - found in the documents panel on the right hand side of the Transforming civil legal aid page.   

• Furthermore, our report on the operation of stage 1 fees, and complementary six-week consultation on any changes to those fees, has been pushed back from January to March 2009. 

We have discussed this with the main representative bodies that sit on our Civil Contracts Consultative Group, i.e. The Law Society, HLPA, ALC, ASA, LAPG, MHLA, ILPA and Resolution.

Consultation period to remain the same...

We would like to stress that we have no intention of reducing the amount of time legal aid providers and other stakeholders have to comment on consultations as a result of these delays. 

Therefore, we remain committed to:

• a 12-week consultation on Family Legal Aid Funding
• and a six-week consultation on changes to the existing stage 1 fees.

Effect on the route map

Inevitably, the milestone changes mentioned above will have knock-on effects on our route map for civil legal aid in general.

For instance, we now plan to publish our response to:

• our consultation response to civil bid rounds in June
• and our consultation responses to family funding and changes to stage 1 fees in August

meaning that we won’t be in a position to tender before September.

Subject to outcomes and proposals

However, these timings remain subject to the outcomes of these consultations and our final proposals. 

For further information...

All current consultations can be found on our website.

Please contact the civil reform team if you have any further queries.