Committee publication · Correspondence · 18 May 2026
Letter from the Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice relating to consultation on changes to legal aid fee schemes for inquests, 7 May 2026
Summary
The Ministry of Justice notifies the PAC of a six-week consultation (8 May – 19 June 2026) on changes to legal aid fee schemes for inquests under the Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013. The proposals follow provisions in the Public Office (Accountability) Bill and aim to create a single fee scheme combining initial advice, assistance, and advocacy services to support bereaved families' access to legal aid at inquests where public authorities are interested parties.
Key findings
- Consultation on Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013 launches 8 May 2026, runs six weeks until 19 June 2026
- Proposals follow Public Office (Accountability) Bill's expansion of legal aid eligibility for inquest cases to all bereaved families where public authorities are interested persons
- MoJ proposes single legal aid fee scheme for inquest legal help work combining initial advice, assistance, and advocacy under revised definition of 'other legal services'
- Government response to consultation expected late 2026
- Changes designed to enable more efficient and effective delivery of legal aid packages for family members accessing legally aided advocacy at inquests
Tone
ProceduralTopics
legal-aidinquestspublic-financeregulation
Key actors
Alex Davies-Jones MP, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, Ministry of Justice, Public Accounts Committee
Notable line
“The proposals set out in our consultation represent the practical steps necessary to support an efficient and effective legal aid system for inquests …”
Key Quotes
“The Bill's legal aid provisions would expand the scope of legal aid for inquests so that all bereaved families will be able to access publicly funded legal help and advocacy at inquests where a public authority has been named as an interested person.”
“Our intention through these proposals is to deliver a more efficient and effective system for inquest legal aid …”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗