Justice Committee chair Catherine Atkinson has warned that long-term pressures across the justice system cannot be solved by reform and efficiency measures alone, in a letter to Justice Secretary Alex Norris ahead of the Budget.
The cross-party committee asked the Lord Chancellor to confirm what additional funding the Ministry of Justice is seeking to improve the availability of legal aid and address the shortage of duty solicitors. It also raised the uprating of eligibility thresholds for criminal legal aid in the Crown Court and magistrates' courts, and for civil legal aid.
The letter, published on Tuesday, seeks clarity over funding for prison maintenance and education in custody, the accessibility of the county court estate, and the recruitment and retention of judges, in line with recommendations in the committee's recent reports.
Catherine Atkinson: 'Limits to what can be achieved'
"Across our recent inquiries including into Access to Justice, Rehabilitation and Resettlement, and the Work of the County Court we have repeatedly heard evidence of services struggling to meet rising demand while operating under significant resource and capital funding constraints," said Atkinson, the Labour MP for Derby North.
"While we recognise the Department's efforts to modernise services and improve productivity, the evidence presented to the Committee suggests that there are limits to what can be achieved without sufficient investment."
She said the Autumn Budget and the Spending Review expected in 2027 were a key opportunity for the government to show how it would address longstanding pressures "and whether it is prepared to match its reform ambitions with the resources required to deliver them".
