Valerie signs Early Day Motion on Legal Aid and Advice

I have signed Early Day Motion (EDM) #559 on Legal Aid and Advice. The Motion stated that the Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 should be annulled.

Legal aid is on its knees after a decade of austerity and the impact of COVID-19 on the justice system. The Government are now giving with one hand and snatching away with the other.

The ‘fixed fee’ paid to legal aid lawyers for immigration appeals is set to rise from £227 to £627. Whilst an increase to legal aid rates would normally be welcomed, this changes the threshold at which firms can claim an hourly rate, meaning all work up to the value of £1,881 will be paid at the fixed fee rate. In practice, it will no longer be financially viable for legal aid practitioners to represent clients in complex cases.

We must ensure that the most vulnerable have access to justice. This legislation undermines that. You can read the full text of this EDM below:

“That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) (Amendment) (Coronavirus) Regulations 2020 (S.I., 2020, No. 515), dated 15 May 2020, a copy of which was laid before this House on 18 May 2020, be annulled.”