England: Criminal lawyers welcome ‘positive’ one per cent increase in legal aid fees

David Gauke

The announcement followed the end of the UK government’s consultation on its earlier proposal to increase spending on the revised Advocates Graduated Fee Scheme (AGFS) by £15 million.

After considering the consultation responses, the government has decided to increase the additional spend by £8 million, bringing the total increase in funding to £23 million. The money will be specifically targeted at junior advocates to support continued investment in the profession.

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) has described the move as “an important first step” in addressing their concerns about the fee scheme.

Mr Gauke said: “Criminal defence advocates play a crucial role in upholding the rule of law, and it is vital that their pay adequately reflects the work they do in a fair and sustainable way.

“We have acted on the views we have heard during our engagement with the Bar and will increase spending on criminal advocates’ fees by £8 million, bringing the total increase to £23 million.

“Alongside this, we are looking at how we can best enable people to resolve their problems in a modern justice system and are spending £1bn to modernise and reform our courts and tribunals system. This will make it more straightforward, accessible, and provide better value for the taxpayer.”

Chris Henley QC, chair of the Criminal Bar Association, said: “The CBA welcomes the announcement of additional investment in criminal defence advocacy fees.

“We have been relentlessly making the case that after years of deep cuts across the criminal justice system, significant investment is urgently required to address an increasing crisis, which is impacting profoundly on the retention and diversity of junior criminal barristers. Women, in particular, have been leaving the profession in large numbers.

“The Secretary of State has listened to our concerns and this development is an important first step in turning things around. There remain serious, structural problems with the new scheme, which will require further investment. We look forward to having frank and honest conversations about what more needs to be done in the next few months but this is a very positive development.”