To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capital threshold for means testing legal aid for domestic violence victims; and if he will make a statement.
Answered on
22 June 2020
Victims of domestic abuse must have access to the help they need - including legal aid, which is subject to a means and merits test. Our comprehensive review of the legal aid means test commenced in February 2019. The review is considering how the current arrangements adequately protect access to justice, and as part of this we have explicitly committed to look at means testing for victims of domestic abuse, including the existing capital thresholds.
Whilst the Government had previously committed to complete the review by Summer 2020, and to mark this with publication of a consultation paper, the impact of the Covid-19 crisis has meant this work has been temporarily paused and a revised timetable for delivery of the review will be announced shortly.