Boost to legal aid spending just 'a drop in the ocean' compared to the cuts it follows, lawyers say

A boost to legal aid spending has been branded "a drop in the ocean" compared to the drastic cuts it follows, lawyers have said.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) on Thursday announced an £8m funding increase and pledged to review the threshold for legal aid access.

But lawyers and justice groups were quick to criticise the moves, after a review into earlier reforms found them to be only "partially successful".

They were introduced by the Conservative-led coalition government to save £350m a year from the legal aid bill in the wake of the financial crisis.

The MoJ said a review was being carried out into the access threshold for legal aid, with justice minister Lucy Frazer saying "significant sums" could be spent addressing the issue.

While the review and an expansion to cover separated migrant children in non-asylum immigration cases was welcomed by lawyers, the level of funding was not.

Legal aid spending fell by 20 per cent since 2013 to £1.6bn a year following the introduction of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Prosecution of Offenders Act (Laspo).

Richard Atkins QC, chairman of the Bar Council, said the association representing barristers was "disappointed" with the review, saying few of its criticisms had been addressed.

"The 500-page report offers little of substance to ease the impact of Laspo on vulnerable individuals seeking justice," he said.

The new investment, he added, is "but a drop in the ocean given the impact Laspo has had on restricting individuals' access to justice".

Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon branded the review "too little, too late".

He said: "The Government has wasted two years investigating the impact of its own legal aid cuts only to respond with no credible plan to end the suffering they have caused.

"This review is a missed opportunity to restore the early legal support people desperately need when faced with a rogue landlord, a difficult family break up, or the Government's 'hostile environment' on benefits and migration."

The Conservative chair of the justice committee Bob Neill said: "There are a number of positive proposals in the review and accompanying action plan but, in several key areas, proposals for further reviews and pilot evaluations risk being seen as 'kicking the can down the road'."

The MoJ said up to £5m will be spent in "developing innovative technologies" to help people access legal support.

A further £3m will be invested to help those representing themselves in the court system over the next two years, the department said.

Ms Frazer also conceded Laspo had "probably" shifted costs on to other departments and the NHS.

The technology fund, she continued, could be used to boost mediation over Skype and access to other internet-based legal advice.

Legal advisers could also be based in GPs' surgeries so they can "nip the problem in the bud" by helping with housing and benefits problems that may be "exacerbating" mental health issues, she said.

Additional reporting from agencies