Response to Joint Committee on Human Rights inquiry into access to legal aid reform

The Equality and Human Rights Commission welcomes the opportunity of making a submission to the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) inquiry into the implications for access to justice of the Government’s proposals for legal aid reform. In preparing this submission, we have drawn on our response to the Ministry of Justice consultation: Transforming legal aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system and advice from Counsel in relation to that response. We have also drawn from our Human Rights Review, published in 2012.

Also relevant to this submission is the Commission’s section 31 Assessment of the extent to which HM Treasury met its legal obligations to consider the impact of Spending Review decisions on people sharing protected characteristics. This assessment included consideration of the Spending Review announcement of a consultation on major reforms to the legal aid system.

Download the Commission's submission

Last Updated: 07 Jul 2014