Legal Aid Inquiry

Date: 19th March 2025
Category: General measures of implementation, Civil Rights and Freedoms

---

Closing date: 17^th April 2025

The Scottish Parliament’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee has launched an inquiry looking at civil legal assistance and grant funding for advice organisations.

Civil legal assistance includes ‘Civil Legal Aid’ and ‘Advice and Assistance’ for civil justice issues. Civil justice issues include housing, relationships and social security issues.

The Committee has heard about significant barriers to accessing civil legal assistance for some clients and that the current rules around eligibility can exclude some types of action.

The Committee would like to hear views about:

• what is working and not working within the current civil legal aid system
• what changes could be made in the short and longer term to address access issues

The Committee is interested in hearing from a wide range of people including people who have experience of accessing (or attempting to access) civil legal assistance; organisations providing support, solicitors, professionals and public bodies working in this sector.

• Find out more and respond to the consultation here.