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<p>Judicial review is an important way of challenging decisions by public authorities
and will remain so. The recently amended regulations do not prevent people receiving
legal aid in judicial review cases.</p><p> </p><p>The Government's policy is that
limited legal aid resources should be targeted at those judicial review cases where
they are needed most, if the legal aid system is to command public confidence and
credibility. We amended the Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013 to implement
the proposal that legal aid providers should only be paid for work carried out on
an application for permission if permission is given by the court, subject to a discretion
to pay providers for work carried out on an application for permission in cases that
conclude prior to a permission decision. The discretion is held by the Lord Chancellor
but will be exercised by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) on behalf of the Lord Chancellor.
The amendments took effect on 22 April 2014.</p><p> </p><p>An assessment of the impacts
of this policy was published alongside the consultation response paper <em>Judicial
Review: Proposals for Further Reform: the Government Response</em> and is available
at <a title="blocked::https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/judicial-review"
href="https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/judicial-review" target="_blank">https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/judicial-review</a>.
It is important to reiterate that no change has been made to the availability of civil
legal aid to individuals or to eligibility for legal aid for judicial review proceedings.
Where a client is in receipt of legal aid, he or she will remain so for the life of
the case (unless it is withdrawn for other reasons). We consider that there will remain
sufficient providers who undertake judicial review work, taking on cases which they
consider to be of merit.</p><p> </p><p>The Government plans to undertake a post-implementation
review of the legal aid provisions within the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment
of Offenders Act 2012 within 3-5 years of implementation. The review will include
an assessment of the impact of this change.</p>
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