Committee publication · Correspondence · 16 June 2026
Correspondence to Sarah Sackman KC MP, Minister for Courts and Legal Services, dated 12 June 2026: Follow-up to the oral evidence session held on 9 June 2026
From: Justice Committee
Inquiry: Access to Justice
Summary
The Justice Committee requests written follow-up evidence from Sarah Sackman KC MP, Minister for Courts and Legal Services, on four areas arising from her 9 June 2026 oral evidence to their access to justice inquiry: duty solicitor workforce planning and coverage; legal aid contract provision gaps; government-funded training initiatives (pupillages and trainee schemes); and the Legal Aid Agency's contingency planning following its cyber attack.
Key findings
- Committee seeks clarification on whether MoJ/LAA has modelled required duty solicitor numbers for national coverage and whether recent fee increases have stabilised the declining active duty solicitor base.
- Request for current data on duty solicitor coverage by scheme, including merged arrangements and cross-scheme coverage due to shortfalls.
- Committee notes evidence of 21 areas lacking housing/debt legal aid provision and 9 areas with family law shortfalls; requests comprehensive up-to-date information across all practice areas.
- Seeks details on £-allocation, per-pupil match funding levels, distribution mechanism, and intake year for 100 match-funded pupillages; and parallel details on trainee scheme funding, numbers, and geographic/practice-area distribution.
- Requests monitoring data on how ongoing LAA cyber attack contingency measures are affecting legal aid provider sustainability; and assurance on new contingency plans for future incidents.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
access-to-justicelegal-aidcriminal-lawfamily-lawcybersecurity
Key actors
Sarah Sackman KC MP, Andy Slaughter MP, Jane, Farah, Ministry of Justice, Legal Aid Agency, Justice Committee
Notable line
“We have heard substantial evidence during our inquiry of the impact ongoing contingency measures, and associated additional unpaid work, have had on legal aid providers.”
Key Quotes
“The Justice Committee is grateful for the oral evidence you provided on 9 June 2026 in relation to our access to justice inquiry.”
“Could we please clarify: 1. Whether the MoJ or LAA has undertaken any modelling or workforce planning regarding the number of active duty solicitors which are required to ensure consistent national coverage?”
“We have heard substantial evidence during our inquiry of the impact ongoing contingency measures, and associated additional unpaid work, have had on legal aid providers.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗