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<p /> <p>Civil legal aid is available to help victims of human trafficking in relation
to applications for leave to enter or remain in the UK, and also for claims for damages
or under employment law brought by victims of human trafficking arising in connection
with their exploitation. These services are set out in paragraph 32 of Schedule 1
to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. Victims of human
trafficking are also able to apply for any other civil legal aid service for which
they are eligible.</p><p> </p><p>The Legal Aid Agency does not routinely collect information
on the circumstances of applicants for legal aid, except where this is directly relevant
to the application. This includes whether or not applicants are victims of human trafficking,
which was not relevant to any legal aid applications before the introduction of LASPO
or for services other than those described under paragraph 32 of Schedule 1 to LASPO
since. Data is being collected on services provided under paragraph 32, but due to
the length of time it takes for cases to conclude, we do not have a clear picture
of funding since implementation of LASPO. As a result, it is not possible accurately
to estimate the total cost of enabling victims of human trafficking to access legal
aid for the period requested.</p>
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