Response to stakeholder input on civil means assessment changes published

In January and February of this year, we engaged with stakeholders from across the justice sector and beyond to discuss a range of changes that we will be making to means assessment in civil legal aid.

We arranged four discussion groups and received several written responses.

Overall, the responses received were positive, and welcomed the changes being made. Stakeholders also identified a few issues of potential concern. We have sought to summarise the input we received and address the concerns, as far as possible, in a response published today, which includes setting out a number of specific next steps.

We are hoping to implement the changes later this year: currently, they are in the final stages of approval by Scottish Government.

Full statements of policy and guidance will be made available when the new arrangements are implemented, and developing these resources will provide further opportunities for collaboration between stakeholders and us within this important area of civil legal aid.

Further information

If you have any questions about the stakeholder engagement exercise or the intended changes to policy, please contact please contact Kieran Forbes, Policy and Research Analyst: forbeski@slab.org.uk.