The tables below show total Government expenditure on legal aid between 2005-6 and 2018-19 in nominal and real terms The information requested is not available for the period prior to 2005-6 as each series is presented as far back in time as it can be produced on a basis that is comparable with the most recent figures. Beyond this, measures of overall expenditure may not be directly comparable because the way legal aid is administered and public money is managed and accounted for have changed. In February, the government published the Legal Support Action Plan which committed to a number of changes to legal aid, including improving the Exceptional Case Funding scheme, expanding the scope of legal aid to all special guardianship orders in private family law, and removing the means test for those with parental responsibility who wish to oppose adoption and placement orders. In addition, we are reviewing the legal aid means testing framework to ensure that those who need legal aid are able to access it into the future. The Ministry of Justice, aims to complete the review by Summer 2020. RDEL - nominal terms (£m)<\/strong> Financial Criminal legal aid<\/p><\/td> Civil Central Funds<\/p><\/td> Total 2005-06<\/p><\/td> 1,200<\/p><\/td> 843<\/p><\/td> 69<\/p><\/td> 2,112 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2006-07<\/p><\/td> 1,190<\/p><\/td> 777<\/p><\/td> 53<\/p><\/td> 2,020 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2007-08<\/p><\/td> 1,203<\/p><\/td> 824<\/p><\/td> 65<\/p><\/td> 2,092 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2008-09<\/p><\/td> 1,172<\/p><\/td> 903<\/p><\/td> 73<\/p><\/td> 2,148 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2009-10<\/p><\/td> 1,101<\/p><\/td> 961<\/p><\/td> 88<\/p><\/td> 2,150 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2010-11<\/p><\/td> 1,175<\/p><\/td> 1,026<\/p><\/td> 78<\/p><\/td> 2,279 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2011-12<\/p><\/td> 1,115<\/p><\/td> 966<\/p><\/td> 101<\/p><\/td> 2,182 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2012-13<\/p><\/td> 995<\/p><\/td> 946<\/p><\/td> 98<\/p><\/td> 2,039 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2013-14<\/p><\/td> 967<\/p><\/td> 825<\/p><\/td> 81<\/p><\/td> 1,873 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2014-15<\/p><\/td> 889<\/p><\/td> 685<\/p><\/td> 63<\/p><\/td> 1,637 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2015-16<\/p><\/td> 861<\/p><\/td> 600<\/p><\/td> 49<\/p><\/td> 1,511 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2016-17<\/p><\/td> 863<\/p><\/td> 646<\/p><\/td> 45<\/p><\/td> 1,554 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2017-18<\/p><\/td> 891<\/p><\/td> 678<\/p><\/td> 49<\/p><\/td> 1,619 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2018-19<\/p><\/td> 879<\/p><\/td> 731<\/p><\/td> 48<\/p><\/td> 1,657 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>RDEL - real terms (2018-19 prices) (£m)<\/strong> Financial Criminal legal aid<\/p><\/td> Civil Central Total 2005-06<\/p><\/td> 1,534<\/p><\/td> 1,077<\/p><\/td> 88<\/p><\/td> 2,699 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2006-07<\/p><\/td> 1,478<\/p><\/td> 965<\/p><\/td> 65<\/p><\/td> 2,508 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2007-08<\/p><\/td> 1,458<\/p><\/td> 998<\/p><\/td> 79<\/p><\/td> 2,535 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2008-09<\/p><\/td> 1,382<\/p><\/td> 1,065<\/p><\/td> 87<\/p><\/td> 2,534 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2009-10<\/p><\/td> 1,280<\/p><\/td> 1,117<\/p><\/td> 103<\/p><\/td> 2,500 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2010-11<\/p><\/td> 1,342<\/p><\/td> 1,171<\/p><\/td> 89<\/p><\/td> 2,602 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2011-12<\/p><\/td> 1,257<\/p><\/td> 1,088<\/p><\/td> 113<\/p><\/td> 2,458 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2012-13<\/p><\/td> 1,100<\/p><\/td> 1,045<\/p><\/td> 108<\/p><\/td> 2,252 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2013-14<\/p><\/td> 1,048<\/p><\/td> 895<\/p><\/td> 88<\/p><\/td> 2,031 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2014-15<\/p><\/td> 952<\/p><\/td> 734<\/p><\/td> 67<\/p><\/td> 1,753 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2015-16<\/p><\/td> 915<\/p><\/td> 638<\/p><\/td> 52<\/p><\/td> 1,605 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2016-17<\/p><\/td> 897<\/p><\/td> 671<\/p><\/td> 47<\/p><\/td> 1,614 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2017-18<\/p><\/td> 908<\/p><\/td> 691<\/p><\/td> 50<\/p><\/td> 1,649 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> 2018-19<\/p><\/td> 879<\/p><\/td> 731<\/p><\/td> 48<\/p><\/td> 1,657 <\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>Note: 2018 - 19 prices are based on the deflator series published by the ONS on 28 June 2019. RDEL (Resource Departmental Expenditure Limit) is current expenditure from within the annual Departmental Expenditure Limits that are set by the Treasury for each government department, and is used in the MoJ and LAA Annual Report & Accounts. It aims to measure the value of all work carried out in each period, regardless of whether it is on cases that have finished. RDEL excludes AME (hence so do the budgeting measures shown in the table). AME (Annually-Managed Expenditure) broadly covers unpredictable or uncontrollable expenditure. In legal aid terms this is work in progress where the payment date is unknown. It can be negative for individual years. In 2013-14, responsibility for Central Funds spending transferred from the Ministry of Justice to the Legal Aid Agency. From October 2014 a new administrative system has enabled these statistics to be based on the general ledger prior to accounting adjustments, and therefore from 2015-16 they are no longer identical to the RDEL figures.<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3926", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Paul Maynard"}
}
, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Blackpool North and Cleveleys"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Paul Maynard"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-22", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-07-22T16:34:52.22Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
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, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Legal Aid Scheme"}
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, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what total Government expenditure on legal aid has been since 1989 in (a) nominal and (b) real terms.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4493", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Richard Burgon"}
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, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Richard Burgon"}
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, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1139934", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1139934/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Government introduced a statutory defence for victims of modern slavery (both under and over the age of 18), to protect those very vulnerable people who were previously being unfairly prosecuted for crimes they were forced to commit by their exploiters \u2013 notably cannabis cultivation. We are aware of concerns from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the police that the defence is open to abuse from opportunistic criminals who are not victims, to escape justice for their crimes. That is why my rt hon Friend the Home Secretary asked the independent review of the Modern Slavery Act to examine how the statutory defence was working in practice.<\/p> <\/p> The report of the review was published in May. It found that the defence strikes the correct balance between protecting genuine victims and preventing misuse from opportunistic criminals. My rt hon Friend the Home Secretary is considering the review\u2019s findings, and the Home Office will work closely with the CPS and law enforcement agencies to take the report\u2019s recommendations forward. A copy of the final report of the Independent Modern Slavery Act Review can be found via the link below:<\/p> <\/p> https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-the-modern-slavery-act-final-report<\/a><\/p> <\/p> To determine how many people who at some point in their lives have been victims of modern slavery are currently in custody would require a search of individual records and could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4362", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Edward Argar"}
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, "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Charnwood"}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Edward Argar"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-07-29", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "278559"}
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, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-07-17", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Slavery: Victims"}
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, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"}
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], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of victims of modern slavery in prison.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4493", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Richard Burgon"}
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, "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Leeds East"}
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, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1139935", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1139935/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Government introduced a statutory defence for victims of modern slavery (both under and over the age of 18), to protect those very vulnerable people who were previously being unfairly prosecuted for crimes they were forced to commit by their exploiters \u2013 notably cannabis cultivation. We are aware of concerns from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and the police that the defence is open to abuse from opportunistic criminals who are not victims, to escape justice for their crimes. That is why my rt hon Friend the Home Secretary asked the independent review of the Modern Slavery Act to examine how the statutory defence was working in practice.<\/p> <\/p> The report of the review was published in May. It found that the defence strikes the correct balance between protecting genuine victims and preventing misuse from opportunistic criminals. My rt hon Friend the Home Secretary is considering the review\u2019s findings, and the Home Office will work closely with the CPS and law enforcement agencies to take the report\u2019s recommendations forward. A copy of the final report of the Independent Modern Slavery Act Review can be found via the link below:<\/p> <\/p> |