Independent Review of Criminal Legal Aid

16 December 2021

This Report arises from long standing concerns about the lack of funding for criminal legal aid in England and Wales. Criminal legal aid in England and in Wales is supplied pursuant to the Lord Chancellor’s statutory duties under the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), using private sector providers, mainly solicitors and barristers, with the exception of a small Public Defender Service (PDS) of salaried lawyers. The system is administered on behalf of the Lord Chancellor by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA), which is also responsible for the PDS.

Next steps

The Deputy Prime Minister, Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, Dominic Raab, is currently considering Sir Christopher’s recommendations. The MOJ aims to publish the government’s response by the end of March 2022.