Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the availability of legal aid and advice in housing law cases; and what is the geographical distribution of the providers of such services in (1) London, (2) the rest of England, and (3) Wales.
Answered on
9 April 2019
Legal aid for housing advice is available to help people with a range of housing problems, subject to statutory means and merits tests. The Legal Aid Agency (LAA) frequently reviews market capacity to make sure there is adequate provision around the country, and moves quickly to ensure provision where gaps may appear.
As of 1 March there is at least one provider offering housing and debt services in all but 4 procurement areas, representing over 97% coverage across England and Wales. The Legal Aid Agency has since undertaken a further tender to secure provision in the remaining areas. Irrespective of location in England and Wales, legal advice for housing remains available through a telephone service as well.
The following table shows the number of providers operating in each of the locations enquired about, and the number of procurement areas which fall within each. The LAA monitors access to legal aid-funded services by geographic location using ‘Procurement Areas’. These are boundaries defined by the LAA according to the respective categories of law they cover.
Geographical location | # of Procurement Areas | # of Providers |
London | 30 | 235 |
Wales | 8 | 35 |
Other | 96 | 212 |