Ministers urged to be ‘more interested’ in the vulnerable over legal aid access
The Government does not know whether eligible people are able to access crucial legal aid and should do more to ensure it is widely available, according to the public spending watchdog.
A report by the National Audit Office (NAO) said it is concerned about gaps in the Ministry of Justice’s (MoJ) understanding of the impact of legal aid reform, while the chairwoman of the Public Accounts Committee called on the department to be “more interested” in the vulnerable people affected.
Under legislation implemented in 2013, the MoJ aimed to discourage “unnecessary and adversarial litigation at public expense”, ensure legal aid was targeted to those most in need, significantly reduce the costs of
