On 5 January 2023 the Ministry of Justice announced that there will be a review exploring options for improving the sustainability of the legal aid system for people facing civil and family legal issues. The review will commission an external economic analysis of the civil legal aid market encompassing all categories of civil legal aid provision, with in-depth analysis into areas including housing. The final report is due to be published in 2024.

For more details, click here.

From 10 January 2023 the Legal Aid Agency is making changes to ensure that individuals receiving cost-of-living support payments are not disadvantaged when applying for legal aid. Payments under the Energy Prices Act 2022 and Social Security (Additional Payments) Act 2022 will be disregarded when assessing eligibility for legal aid.

For the announcement, click here.