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23 January 2026 / David Greene
Issue: 8146 / Categories: Opinion , Legal aid focus , Legal services , Litigation funding
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‘The Ministry of Justice (for Certain People)’

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Will access to justice gain a much-needed boost in 2026? David Greene fears that the signs are not looking promising

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the Commons’ Justice Committee are both examining the justice system and access to justice for citizens.

The PAC reported this month in scathing terms on the work of Ministry of Justice (MoJ) regarding legal aid. To loud support from practitioners, the PAC concluded that the ministry is not doing enough to understand the impact of its reforms, which removed access to most early legal advice over a decade ago, nor to ensure the future sustainability of the legal aid market following historic cuts to the legal aid budget and present-day restrictions—some rates for representatives have not been increased for 30 years. The chair of the PAC, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, suggested renaming the Ministry of Justice as ‘the Ministry of Justice (for Certain People)’.

The Justice Committee, now chaired by former barrister Andy Slaughter, is conducting a formal inquiry into access

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