MoJ defends legal aid offer following Law Society broadside | News

The Ministry of Justice has signalled that it is not likely to reconsider its prison lawful aid reforms adhering to the Law Society’s final decision to withdraw help for the present proposals.

Adhering to even further assessment of the government’s proposals and meetings with officials, Chancery Lane declared yesterday that the ministry had ‘botched’ its response to the unbiased legal lawful assist assessment.

Justice secretary Dominic Raab has insisted the government’s deal matches the review’s central £135m recommendation. Critics like the Society declare analysis of the consultation doc and influence evaluation display it does not.

As as nicely describing the government’s words as ‘spin’, the Modern society encouraged felony defence practitioners to assume ‘long and hard’ about whether they want to carry on undertaking publicly funded function as it no extended thinks the work is economically viable.

In a statement nowadays, a spokesperson for the ministry claimed: ‘We have accepted Sir Christopher Bellamy’s advice for an uplift in expenses and our proposals will provide an extra £135m a yr in legal legal aid – the greatest increase in a 10 years.

‘This is alongside our formidable proposals to ensure experts are superior paid for the get the job done they carry out, boosting shell out for attorneys symbolizing suspects in police stations, magistrates’ court docket and youth courtroom by 15% and funding the training and accreditation of solicitors and solicitor-advocates.’

The ministry said it encouraged the legal sector to have interaction in its consultation ‘so we can assurance this uplift will make the sector sustainable for the long run as we make back a much better and fairer modern society just after the pandemic’.

The department also pointed out that along with the disputed 15% uplift in selected service fees, it is proposing to spend a even further £10m in reforming the litigators’ graduated payment plan.