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Bach Commission Launches Interim Report

Bach Commission Launches Report on Access to Justice: The Crisis in the Justice System in England and Wales

Following the legal aid cuts introduced in 2013 by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), Lord Bach was appointed by the Labour Party to undertake a review of the legal aid system.

An interim report released by the Commission today provides a summary of the work that has been done so far and an indication of what is to come.

The foreword notes that LASPO has compounded problems in the justice system that have been years in the making. Lord Bach states:

“It is clear that a great many people who previously relied on legal aid are now being denied access to justice because they cannot afford to pay for it”.

The report also refers to the statement by Lord Chief Justice Thomas of Cwmgiedd, Britain’s most senior judge, that “our justice system has become unaffordable to most”.

The report argues that cuts to legal aid have created a two-tier justice system in which the poorest go without representation and advice. It calls for a set of minimum standards to be established to ensure that access to justice is a reality for all. Some groups such as Young Legal Aid Lawyers suggest that the government needs to go further and repeal LASPO.

Today’s report follows recent calls for an immediate review of the legal aid cuts by Amnesty International and the Trades Union Congress (TUC)  in their reports Cuts That Hurt and Justice Denied.

The government promised to review the legal aid cuts three to five years after they came into force, in April 2013. Justice campaigners have called on the Prime Minister, Theresa May, and the Justice Secretary, Liz Truss, to honour this pledge by objectively assessing the impact of the cuts on access to justice at the earliest opportunity.

Ben Hoare Bell actively campaigned against the introduction of LASPO. Since it came into force we have been at the forefront of campaigns to raise awareness of the devastating impacts of the cuts on the most vulnerable within society. We have also led calls for reform of the legal aid system. We are deeply concerned that our current justice system does not allow for equal access to the law.

We welcome today’s report as further recognition of the need for the government to take urgent action on this issue.


Blog by Ronagh Craddock, Trainee Solicitor

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