Find activities

36 results

  • Review of Legal Services Regulation

    To obtain more information about the challenges legal service providers face the Ministry of Justice is conducting a review of the legal services statutory framework. The review, part of the Government's red tape challenge, will consider what could be done to simplify the regulatory framework and reduce unnecessary burdens on the legal sector while ensuring there is still appropriate oversight. Further info can be found on the cabinet office red tape challenge website. More
    Closed 2 September 2013

  • Comisiwn y Gyfraith: 12th Raglen Diwygio'r Gyfraith

    Mae Comisiwn y Gyfraith yn ymgymryd â phrosiectau diwygio'r gyfraith gyda'r bwriad o wneud y gyfraith yn deg, syml, clir a chost-effeithiol. Ar hyn o bryd rydym yn ymgynghori ar ba feysydd newydd ddylai cael eu trin yn ein rhaglen nesaf o ddiwygio'r gyfraith. I wneud hyn, rydym yn gofyn: yn lle mae'r gyfraith yn methu gweithio'n iawn? Defnyddiwch yr holiadur hwn, os gwelwch yn dda i ddweud wrthym lle rydych yn credu bod problem arwyddocaol â'r gyfraith. Rydym eisiau gwybod beth rydych... More
    Closed 31 October 2013

  • Law Commission: 12th Programme of Law Reform

    The Law Commission carries out law reform projects with the aim of making the law fair, simple, clear and cost-effective. We are currently consulting on what new areas of law should be addressed in our next programme of law reform. To do this, we are asking: where is the law failing to work properly? Proposing a law reform project Please use this survey questionnaire to tell us where you think there is a significant problem with the law. We want to know what you think is wrong and... More
    Closed 31 October 2013

  • Transforming Legal Aid: Next Steps

    Nearly 16,000 responses were received following the Transforming Legal Aid consultation published in April . In addition to these, the Ministry of Justice held 14 stakeholder events throughout the consultation period. The responses are summarised at Annex B . All views expressed have been carefully considered and it is on the basis of these that the proposals set out in Part 1 have been determined. In the case of two of the original Transforming Legal Aid proposals – those to introduce... More
    Closed 1 November 2013

  • Proposal on the future of Neath Magistrates' Court

    This is a consultation proposal to close Neath Magistrates' Court and transfer the work to Swansea Magistrates' Court and merge the Neath and Port Talbot Bench and Swansea Bench. This site is in an area of significant redevelopment by Neath and Port Talbot County Borough Council following their securing of European and Welsh Government funding to regenerate the town. HM Courts and Tribunals Service have not been able to identify or secure another viable or affordable site within the... More
    Closed 7 November 2013

  • Cynnig ar ddyfodol Llys Ynadon Castell Nedd

    Mae’r ymgynghoriad hwn yn cynnig cau Llys Ynadon Castell Nedd a throsglwyddo’r gwaith i Lys Ynadon Abertawe, yn ogystal ag uno Mainc Castell Nedd a Phort Talbot gyda Mainc Abertawe. Mae’r safle mewn ardal sy’n cael ei ailddatblygu’n sylweddol gan Gyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Castell Nedd a Phort Talbot ar ôl iddynt sicrhau arian Ewropeaidd a chymorth ariannol Llywodraeth Cymru i adfywio’r dref. Nid yw... More
    Closed 7 November 2013

  • Supporting the introduction of the single Family Court – Proposed changes to Family legal aid remuneration schemes

    This consultation sets out the Government’s proposals for amendments to the current family legal aid remuneration schemes in England and Wales, which are required as a result of the planned introduction of the new single Family Court (FC). We anticipate that the proposals set out in this consultation would, if implemented as proposed, have no impact on legal aid recipients and no or minimal impact on provider income or the legal aid fund. Supporting the introduction of the single... More
    Closed 25 November 2013

  • Court bundles: proposed changes to the legal aid Family Advocacy Scheme

    The Government needs to revise the current legal aid Family Advocacy Scheme as a result of proposed changes to Practice Direction 27A (PD 27A). Currently there is no particular limit on the size of a court bundle. Under the legal aid Family Advocacy Scheme, different payments are made to advocates for interim and final hearings according to the number of pages in the court bundle. More complex cases often involve larger bundles and therefore attract larger bundle payments. The... More
    Closed 10 April 2014

  • Legal Ombudsman and complaints about claims management companies - consultation on the fees framework

    In August 2012 the Government announced its intention for customers’ complaints about poor service provided by authorised claims management companies to be dealt with by the Legal Ombudsman. The Legal Ombudsman will provide a new avenue of redress for clients of claims management companies and will assist the Claims Management Regulator in driving out poor standards and practices in the market. Once the Legal Ombudsman’s jurisdiction is extended to cover the authorised... More
    Closed 6 June 2014

  • Transforming Legal Aid: Crime duty contracts

    Earlier this year the Ministry of Justice, following detailed engagement with the Law Society, published proposals to help create a more sustainable legal aid market in criminal litigation. As previously announced, we have allowed an unlimited number of own client contracts for providers who meet the required quality standards. We also stated our intention to offer the highest number of duty work contracts recommended - 525 - following specialist research from Otterburn Legal Consulting... More
    Closed 15 October 2014

  • Changes to remuneration for legal aid services

    On 13 March 2014, the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 (ASBCPA) received Royal Assent. The Act introduces a number of new Injunctions and orders, including a series of orders to prevent sexual harm, criminal behaviour orders and injuctions under Part 1 all of which require legal aid. The Government proposes changes to the legal aid remuenration schemes to coincide with the implementation of Part 1 of the Act early next year. The reforms proposed aim to ensure that... More
    Closed 1 December 2014

  • Proposed amendments to the Allocation guideline

    The Sentencing Council is seeking feedback from sentencers, justices’ clerks, legal advisers, prosecutors, defence representatives and other court users on proposals to update the definitive Allocation guideline. The consultation runs for six weeks. This is a shorter period than is customary for Sentencing Council consultations. The reasons for this are: the consultation relates to a concise, technical guideline likely to be of interest only to those directly concerned with... More
    Closed 31 July 2015

  • A consultation on the merger of the Sussex (Northern) and Sussex (Western) Local Justice Areas

    The aim of this consultation is find views on proposals to merge the Local Justice Areas of Sussex (Northern) and Sussex (Western) into one new West Sussex Local Justice Area. This will give greater flexibility in managing the caseload across West Sussex whilst increasing the opportunities for magistrates to sit on a broader range of cases on a regular basis and maintain experience and thus competence. It aims to reduce delays, and provide a more consistent service to court users. There... More
    Closed 14 September 2015

  • Consultation on the merger of the Local Justice Areas in Greater Manchester

    This consultation sets out a proposal on the future arrangements for Local Justice Areas (LJA’s) in Greater Manchester. There are 3 key reasons for considering a merger of the current 8 LJA’s: to improve the effectiveness of the delivery of justice by improving flexibility in dealing with cases to make better use of reduced resources to increase the opportunities for magistrates to retain experience and thus competence The Judicial Business Group (JBG)... More
    Closed 14 September 2015

  • Enhanced fees for divorce, possession claims and general applications in civil proceedings and consultation on further fees proposal

    This sets out the government response to the consultation on enhanced fees for possession claims and general applications in civil proceedings, and we are also seeking responses to further proposals for consultation. As the Lord Chancellor set out recently, we are seeking to modernise HMCTS and improve its efficiency. We need a properly funded service that protects access to justice and if we are to achieve that whilst reducing the cost of the courts and tribunals to the taxpayer we... More
    Closed 15 September 2015

  • Reform of Judicial Review: Proposals for the provision and use of financial information

    Judicial review is a process by which individuals, businesses and other affected parties can challenge the lawfulness of decisions or actions of public bodies, including those of Ministers, local authorities and those exercising public functions. It is a largely judge-developed process and can be characterised as the rule of law in action, providing a key mechanism for individuals to hold the Executive to account. More
    Closed 15 September 2015

  • Proposal on the provision of court and tribunal estate in England and Wales

    This is a national consultation on the provision of the court and tribunal estate in England and Wales. HM Courts & Tribunals Service manages the operation of courts and tribunals through seven regions in England and Wales and the consultation includes annexes covering London, the Midlands, the North East, the North West, the South East, the South West and Wales. To provide users with an overview of all proposed change to the estate, the consultation also includes information on where... More
    Closed 8 October 2015

  • Enhancing the Quality of Criminal Advocacy

    The Government has issued a consultation paper (Preserving and Enhancing the Quality of Criminal Advocacy) setting out a package of measures to ensure the quality of criminal defence advocacy, reducing the influence of financial incentives on choice of advocate and support clients’ rights to make an informed choice of advocate. The Government has a responsibility to ensure the delivery of an efficient, fair and effective justice system in which the public has confidence and therefore has... More
    Closed 27 November 2015

  • Bladed Articles & Offensive Weapons Consultation

    Overarching issues and the context of the guidelines This consultation seeks views on 3 guidelines; possession of a bladed article/ offensive weapon; threatening with a bladed article/ offensive weapon, and a youth guideline which covers all offences involving bladed articles and offensive weapons. The principal pieces of legislation for the main offences are the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 and the Criminal Justice Act 1988. In addition the adult guideline covers the offence of... More
    Closed 6 January 2017

  • Reforming the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme

    This consultation paper sets out proposals for the reform of the funding scheme which pays advocates to defend clients in the Crown Court. The government is seeking views on all aspects of these proposals. In particular, the government would like to hear views specifically on: The graduated fee bundle Categorisation of offences and standard cases Early guilty pleas and cracked trials Special preparation Other aspects of the scheme design; and ... More
    Closed 2 March 2017

  • Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme Commissioning Sustainable Services

    This is a consultation on a competitive tendering approach for the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme which will consolidate the current number of schemes through joining courts allowing for larger and more sustainable contracts for providers. Providers will offer their services at a price, without an administrative cap or floor, that reflects the costs of delivery in their local area and represents a fair market price for the work carried out whilst maintaining a quality service. ... More
    Closed 17 March 2017

  • Litigators’ Graduated Fees Scheme and court appointees

    This consultation paper sets out proposals for the reform of the funding scheme which pays litigators to defend clients in the Crown Court and payments to court appointees. The government is seeking views on all aspects of these proposals. More
    Closed 24 March 2017

  • Legal aid financial eligibility and universal credit

    The changes to the benefits system currently being implemented under the Welfare Reform Act 2012 mean that a number of benefits that have historically been used as an administrative marker to “passport” applicants through parts of the criminal and civil legal aid means tests to free (ie, non-contributory) legal aid will progressively be replaced by Universal Credit. To accommodate the introduction of Universal Credit, which was initially restricted to particular areas and types of... More
    Closed 11 May 2017

  • Review of legal aid for inquests

    An inquest is a distinct judicial process. It is a public hearing held to determine who the deceased was, and how, when and where they died. It can be a traumatic ordeal for the bereaved, both in hearing how their loved ones died and through the frustration in the search for answers. However, that search to find out what happened is important in helping the bereaved to understand and make sense of their loss as well as ensuring that there is proper accountability. As such,... More
    Closed 31 August 2018

  • Amending the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme

    This consultation brings forward proposals for allocating an additional £15 million of spending to the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS). The AGFS is the fee scheme through which criminal defence advocates are paid for carrying out publicly funded work in the Crown Court. More
    Closed 12 October 2018

  • Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme: Towards a more sustainable service

    The government is consulting on proposals to change the Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme. The aim of these proposals is to ensure that the Scheme is sustainable into the future, in order to maintain this vital service for those who need it. The key proposals in this consultation are: Contracting for individual courts rather than larger geographical areas Allowing providers to claim for the scheme fee in addition to the follow up Legal Help fee ... More
    Closed 3 January 2020

  • Law Commission executive summary consultation on the post-conviction confiscation regime

    This is a public consultation by the Law Commission for England and Wales. In 2018 the Law Commission agreed with the Home Office to review the law on confiscation contained within Part 2 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The primary aims of this review are to improve the process by which confiscation orders are made, to ensure the fairness of the confiscation regime, and to optimise the enforcement of confiscation orders. For more... More
    Closed 18 December 2020

  • Criminal Legal Aid Review: Remuneration for pre-charge engagement

    Criminal defence practitioners play a crucial role in upholding the rule of law. As a former criminal barrister, I greatly value the huge contribution the criminal defence profession makes to our society and commend the resilience and commitment the profession has continued to show during the Covid-19 pandemic. I understand the pressures you are under and the need to ensure that you are paid fairly for the work you do. At the beginning of 2019, the Ministry of Justice began a... More
    Closed 25 January 2021

  • Independent review of criminal legal aid: Call for Evidence

    This consultation has been extended to 28th May 2021. The Independent Review is focussed on the long-term sustainability of Criminal Legal Aid in England & Wales. The Review will consider the Criminal Legal Aid System in its entirety, specifically it seeks to ensure that it: provides high quality legal advice and representation; is provided through a diverse set of practitioners; is appropriately funded; is responsive to user... More
    Closed 28 May 2021

  • Immigration legal aid fees and the online system: Call for Evidence

    The Ministry of Justice is seeking evidence on the role and features of the online system in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), which will be used to inform the future policy on legal aid fees. The Ministry of Justice welcomes responses from all interested parties, to ensure that future fees are reflective of the introduction of the online system, and that legal aid practitioners are remunerated for their work in representing some of the most vulnerable... More
    Closed 2 December 2021
36 results. Page 1 of 2