Times letter
Sir, As partners in major criminal law firms, which make up the Big Firms’ Group, we welcome the decision on Thursday of the House of Lords to query the implementation of further cuts to criminal legal aid.
In 2014, Chris Grayling, then Lord Chancellor, announced cuts of 17.5 per cent in fees paid to defence solicitors, on top of those previously imposed. Implementation was to be in two tranches of 8.75 per cent. Although the second tranche was scheduled for July 1, 2015, this was to coincide with the start date of new contracts, following a tender process to reduce the number of firms, and was to be subject to a review. This was because of Grayling’s concerns that the sector might fail unless it consolidated prior to absorbing the full effect of the cuts.
The outcome of the tender will not now be implemented until next January at the earliest. Further, there has been no promised review to assess the Leveson Report on efficiencies to criminal procedure, or the impacts of falling demand due to lower case numbers, or the savings from the previous cut. We urge Mr Gove to delay this latest damaging cut to avoid the failure of the sector feared by his predecessor. And we ask him to reopen dialogue with those of us working in this much-maligned but indispensable branch of the justice system.