MoJ scraps legal aid reforms

Justice Secretary Michael Gove has announced that plans to drastically reform the operations of the legal system regarding criminal legal work and pay have been suspended.

Gove claimed the plans had been dropped because the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) had faced too many legal challenges, with numerous lawyers protesting the move and orchestrating strikes.

Many lawyers objected to the proposal because they believed it would damage quality and access to justice. The proposed cuts, drawn up by former Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, included reducing the number of solicitor’s firms awarded ‘duty contracts’ by two-thirds, from 1,600 to 527.

Duty contracts involve placing firms on a rota, where they can be called upon to represent people who qualify for legal aid at police stations and magistrates’ courts.

However, in a ministerial statement Gove cited 99 separate legal challenges over the government’s proposals and said there were ‘real problems’ in pressing ahead.

Gove said: "My decision is driven in part by the recognition that the litigation will be time-consuming and costly for all parties, whatever the outcome.

"I do not want my department and the legal aid market to face months if not years of continuing uncertainty, and expensive litigation, while it is heard."

The Law Society also argued that ‘large areas of the country could be left without legal representation’, and that ‘the most vulnerable in our society will have inadequate access to legal representation’.