Official Statistics 2026
An Official Statistics
Publication.
Published by:
Information & Analysis
Unit
Legal Services Agency NI
3rd Floor, AIB Building
92
Ann Street
Belfast
BT1 3HH
Publication date: 28th May 2026
KEY FINDINGS
In 2025/26, a total of 62,627 cases were granted legal aid. While this equates to a 1.7% increase since last year (2024/25; 61,573), it is down 15.7% when compared with 2019/20 (74,298). This net reduction reflects more stringent verification of capital threshold as part of the financial eligibility test associated with applications for civil legal services.
Of the 62,627 grants of legal aid in 2025/26, over two-thirds (69.4%; 43,432) were criminal cases with the remaining 30.6% (19,195) comprising civil cases granted by the Agency. This indicates a slight widening in the split of legal aid since 2024/25 when the equivalent proportions stood at 67.5% (criminal) and 32.5% (civil).
A total of £120,973,199 was authorised from the legal aid fund in 2025/26, representing the highest annual total on record - and a moderate 0.8% increase on 2024/25. This total reflects, in part, the introduction of uplifted remuneration rates in January 2026, which accounted for around 6% (£7m) of the overall expenditure.
Following a fifth consecutive annual increase, legal aid expenditure in 2025/26 (£120,973,199) displays a 46.7% increase on the 2019/20 pre-COVID position (£82,453,572).
While over two thirds of grants in 2025/26 were associated with criminal proceedings, this was not reflected in authorised expenditure, which was more evenly balanced between criminal (50.6%) and civil (49.4%) cases.
In 2025/26, 58.3% (£70.5m) of total legal aid expenditure was authorised to solicitor firms, with 41.4% (£50.0m) authorised to barristers. The remaining expenditure can be attributed to third party providers.
Taxed expenditure accounted for over a quarter (27.1%; £32.7m) of legal aid spend in 2025/26, the vast majority of which (92.1%; £30.2m) was authorised in relation to civil proceedings.
1. INTRODUCTION
This publication is the latest in a series of Official Statistics released by the Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland (LSANI), and the first to include information for the 2025/26 financial year.
In response to ongoing user needs identified through recent engagement, LSANI will continue to adopt a two-release model (first introduced in 2024/25) for these statistics. This first annual release presents trends in legal aid activity in terms of grants of legal aid and related expenditure for criminal and civil cases from 2019/20 onwards, reflecting the period since LSANI’s digital case management system (LAMS) became operational. A second release, scheduled for Autumn 2026, will extend this analysis by offering more detailed insights into the utilisation of legal aid by both applicants and suppliers throughout Northern Ireland.
A publication schedule for forthcoming Official Statistics releases is available on the LSANI website.
1.1 About Legal Services Agency NI
As an executive agency of the Department of Justice (DoJ), the core function of LSANI, as an operational arm of the Department, is to administer publicly funded legal services in Northern Ireland through the:
processing of applications for civil legal services and authorising of independent legal representation for litigants;
assessing and payment of bills for the provision of civil legal services and criminal legal aid; and
provision of a sound evidence base to provide assurances to the Agency’s governance arrangements while supporting wider Departmental policy-led reform projects.
Within Northern Ireland, legal aid is administered and operates across five levels of services: Criminal, Advice and Assistance, Exceptional Funding, Representation Lower and Representation Higher.
Civil legal aid comprises a range of natures and matters that are used throughout this report to break civil cases into family and non-family, with further differentiation of family cases into matrimonial and non-matrimonial.
They have also been used to partition Advice and Assistance into criminal advice (PACE) and civil advice (non-PACE). For Criminal Courts, cases are considered in terms of court tier.
2. OVERVIEW OF CASELOAD AND EXPENDITURE, 2019/20 TO 2025/26
2.1 Applications Granted
In 2025/26, a total of 62,627 legal aid applications were granted. Of these, over two-thirds (69%; 43,432) were criminal cases with the remaining 31% (19,195) representing civil cases granted by the Agency.
While this latest figure is 1.7% up the previous year (2024/25; 61,573), it is 16% lower than 2019/20 (74,298) and 3% lower than 2020/21 (64,775) when the global COVID-19 pandemic and associated national lockdowns were at their peak (Figure 2.1; Table A1).
Figure 2.1: Applications Granted, 2019/20 to 2025/26
The trends in granted applications since 2019/20 closely mirror the trends in the volume of applications being submitted over this same period (Figure 2.1).
The decline in applications granted in 2020/21 was driven by a 22% (10,595) reduction in criminal grants. This decrease coincides with the introduction of various restrictions and social distancing measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly evident in the first quarter of 2020/21, which had an impact on recorded crime levels and therefore the demand for legal aid services.
In contrast, the drop off in overall grants (between 2021/22 and 2022/23) is evident within civil cases and coincides with the enforcing of more stringent verification of capital threshold as part of the financial eligibility test associated with applications for civil legal services.
These concepts, together with its impact, are explored and presented further in Sections 3 (Criminal) and 4 (Civil).
3. CRIMINAL LEGAL AID, 2019/20 TO 2025/26
This section looks specifically at
criminal legal aid, both in terms of the volume of cases granted as well
as the respective expenditure from the legal aid fund authorised to
criminal cases, the latter of which may partly relate to cases granted
in previous years. This section incorporates criminal advice that is
administered as part of the wider Advice and Assistance category of
service.
3.1 Criminal Grants of Legal Aid
The grant of criminal legal aid is a judicial function. The statistics in relation to criminal legal aid contained within this bulletin refer to criminal cases where LSANI has been advised by the courts that legal aid has been granted.
While criminal legal aid is administered as a distinct category of service within LSANI, there is also an element of Advice and Assistance (a separate category of service) that is considered criminal, that is: advice and representation given to those in custody at a police station (under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984); PACE) hereafter referred to as PACE.
3.1.1 Criminal Applications Granted
In 2025/26, a total of 43,432 criminal legal aid applications were granted. Of these, the majority (55%; 23,964) were for Criminal Court proceedings, with the remaining 45% (19,468) related to criminal Advice and Assistance under PACE.
The number of criminal grants has increased for both Criminal Court proceedings and criminal Advice and Assistance under PACE during 2025/26. In 2025/26, grants for Criminal Court proceedings increased by 99 (0.4%), alongside an increase of 1,763 (10%) in criminal Advice and Assistance under PACE, compared with the previous year (Figure 3.1; Table A1).
Figure 3.1: Criminal Applications Granted by Category, 2019/20 to 2025/26
3.1.2 Criminal Courts
Legal aid for Criminal Court cases allows representation in a criminal case. These cases usually take place in the Magistrates’ Courts or Crown Court.
A full breakdown of criminal court applications granted by court tier can be found in Table A1.
Criminal Courts accounted for the largest proportion (38%; 23,964) of all legal aid applications granted in 2025/26, the vast majority of which continue to be in relation to Magistrates’ Courts cases (83%; 19,965). A further one-in-ten (10%; 2,477) criminal cases awarded legal aid took place in the Crown Court.
Following a 25% (7,013) reduction in Criminal Courts applications granted between 2019/20 and 2020/21 as a direct result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Criminal Courts grants increased by 20% (4,082) in 2021/21 as part of the post-COVID recovery and have since remained fairly consistent (Figure 3.2; Table A1).
Figure 3.2: Annual Criminal Courts Applications Granted, 2019/20 to 2025/26
3.1.3 Criminal Advice and Assistance (PACE)
Legal advice and representation given to those in custody at a police station (under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (1984); PACE) constitutes the criminal side of Advice and Assistance.
Criminal Advice and Assistance (PACE) applications accounted for 31% (19,468) of all legal aid applications granted in 2025/26, equating to a 10% (1,763) increase on 2024/25 (17,705) (Figure 3.3; Table A1). This upward trend is reflective of the increase reported by the PSNI in terms of requests for solicitors during PACE arrests over the same 12-month period.
Figure 3.3: Annual Criminal Advice and Assistance (PACE) Applications Granted, 2019/20 to 2025/26
4. CIVIL LEGAL AID, 2019/20 TO 2025/26
This section looks specifically at civil legal aid, both in terms of the volume of cases granted as well as the respective expenditure from the legal aid fund authorised to civil cases, the latter of which may partly relate to cases granted in previous years.
4.1 Civil Grants of Legal Aid
4.1.1 Civil Applications Granted
In 2025/26, a total of 19,195 civil legal aid applications were granted. Of these, similar proportions were for Representation Higher (40%; 7,615) and Representation Lower (38%; 7,261) proceedings, with a further 22% (4,285) related to Advice and Assistance (civil).
While the number of civil grants has remained relatively constant since 2022/23, there has been a substantial drop compared with the preceding years. This has resulted from a sharp reduction in the number of grants of Advice and Assistance (Figure 4.1; Table A1), which is explored further in Section 4.1.2.
Figure 4.1: Civil Applications Granted by Category of Service, 2019/20 to 2025/26
4.1.2 Advice And Assistance
Advice and Assistance allows advice from a solicitor on any point of Northern Ireland law. It can cover many legal problems such as personal injury, divorce, disputes over children, employment matters and housing. Civil Advice and Assistance excludes criminal PACE.
Grants of Advice and Assistance continue to display a year-on-year downward trend, accounting for less than a quarter (22%; 4,285) of all civil legal aid applications granted in 2025/26. This decrease is most stark in 2022/23, when granted applications fell by over half (51%), from 12,088 to 5,885. This coincided with new guidance issued with effect from 21st February 2022 in respect of more stringent verification of capital threshold as part of the Advice and Assistance financial eligibility test, which led to a reduction in civil Advice and Assistance applications being submitted.
As in previous years, the majority of Advice and Assistance applications granted in 2025/26 (81%; 3,490) were in relation to non-family matters, with 19% (795) relating to family matters (Table A1).
While most Primary Natures within Advice and Assistance show substantial reductions in grants since 2019/20 of between 67% (Child Proceedings) and 97% (Criminal Matters), “Other” Primary Natures, in contrast, show only a modest decrease of 11% (Figure 4.2 and Table A4). It is worth noting that this particular nature is dominated by Immigration matters, that have seen grants increase on the whole since 2019/20 as these matters are less likely to be impacted by the capital threshold restriction.
A full breakdown of civil grants, by Primary Nature, since 2019/20 is detailed in Table A4.
Figure 4.2: Breakdown of Advice and Assistance Grants by Primary Nature, 2019/20 to 2025/26
4.1.3 Representation Lower
Representation Lower means representation in proceedings in the lower courts, usually the Magistrates’ Court. The types of cases heard in the Magistrates’ Courts include separation, maintenance, cases involving children, protection orders like a Non-molestation Order and paternity cases.
Representation Lower applications accounted for 38% (7,261) of all civil legal aid applications granted in 2025/26, a 6% decrease from 2024/25 (7,719).
Consistent with previous years, the vast majority (93%; 6,736) of Representation Lower applications granted in 2025/26 were in relation to family matters, with just 7% (525) relating to non-family matters (Table A1).
For presentational purposes, the four Representation Lower Children Order Primary Natures have been grouped into one category, and four primary Natures (Tribunal, Quasi criminal, Maintenance and Debt / Ejectment) with small numbers of applications granted have been grouped into a ‘Miscellaneous’ category in the following section.
In 2025/26, Children’s Order cases accounted for over two-thirds (68%) of all Representation Lower grants, with almost a quarter (24%) relating to Family Homes Domestic Violence cases. (Figure 4.3; Table A4)
Figure 4.3: Breakdown of Representation Lower Grants by Primary Nature, 2019/20 to 2025/26
4.1.4 Representation Higher
Representation Higher means representation in proceedings in the higher courts like the County Court, High Court and Supreme Court.
Representation Higher applications accounted for 40% (7,615) of all civil legal aid applications granted in 2025/26, this equates to a modest 1% decrease (82) on 2024/25.
At 53% (4,003) in 2025/26, a slightly higher proportion of Representation Higher grants were for family matters, with the remaining 47% (3,612) for non-family cases, a trend that has been consistent for the past three years. Within family grants, the majority (70%) related to non-matrimonial matters, with 30% granted in relation to matrimonial proceedings (Table A1).
For presentational purposes, the four Representation Higher Children Order Primary Natures have been grouped into one category, and various Primary Natures with relatively small expenditure (Parole, Maintenance, Land/property, Quasi criminal, Debt/ejectment, Family Homes Domestic Violence and Asylum & Immigration) have been grouped into a ‘Miscellaneous’ to ensure the grouping remains the same in Sections 4.1.3 and 4.2.3. A full breakdown of applications granted by primary natures is available in Table A4.
In 2025/26, over one-third (34%) of grants were Children Order related, with a just under a quarter (24%) accounting for High Court Bail.
The composition of Representation Higher grants by Primary Nature has remained relatively unchanged in recent years. Since 2019/20 around three-quarters of all Representation Higher grants were in relation to Children Order, High Court Bail and Matrimonial/Civil Partnership natures (Figure 4.4; Table A4).
Figure 4.4: Breakdown of Representation Higher Applications Granted by Primary Nature, 2019/20 to 2025/26
4.1.5 Exceptional Funding
Exceptional Funding allows representation in cases (such as inquests) which are not covered by any other legal aid scheme.
Exceptional Funding accounted for only 0.2% (34) of all civil legal aid grants in 2025/26. Of these, the majority (28; 82%) were in relation to Inquests, with the remaining six relating to A Breach of the Human Rights Act or enforceable EU rights (Figure 4.5; Table A1).
Figure 4.5: Annual Exceptional Funding Applications Granted, 2019/20 to 2025/26
4.3 Family vs Non-Family
This section combines grants and expenditure of family law and non-family law cases across all categories of service, collating the individual observations made throughout Section 4.
4.3.1 Grants of Family vs Non-Family Legal Aid
In 2025/26, family law continued to account for three-fifths (60%; 11,534) of all civil legal aid granted applications (Figure 4.12; Table A1), a trend that has been evident since 2022/23.
Prior to this, and the introduction of more stringent verification of capital threshold as part of the Advice and Assistance financial eligibility test (see Section 4.1.2), the split between family and non-family proceedings was closer to 50-50.
Figure 4.12: Breakdown of Granted Applications Family vs Non-Family, 2019/20 to 2025/26
In 2025/26, grants for family law proceedings were primarily for Representation Lower (58%; 6,736) cases, followed by Representation Higher (35%; 4,003). In contrast, grants of non-family law applications were mostly split between Representation Higher (47%; 3,612) and Advice and Assistance (46%; 3,490) cases (Figure 4.13; Table A1).
Figure 4.13: Breakdown of Granted Applications Family vs Non-Family by Category of Service, in 2025/26
4.4 Children Order Cases, Public v Private Law
Representation Lower and Representation Higher Children Order cases can be further broken down into public and private law. Public law applications are those brought by local authorities and include matters such as care, supervision and emergency protection orders. Private law applications are those brought by private individuals, generally in connection with divorce or the parents’ separation. This section of the report details current levels and historical trends in public and private Children Order granted applications and expenditure.
It should be noted that there are a small number of Children Order cases within the Advice and Assistance scheme, however it is not possible to determine whether these are public or private cases. Therefore, these cases have been excluded from this section of the report. For information, there were 149 Advice and Assistance Children Order applications granted in 2025/26, and a total expenditure of £9,798 on these case types in 2025/26.
4.4.1 Children Order Applications Granted
Following two consecutive annual increases in grants of Children Order cases, 2025/26 displayed a 7% decrease on the previous year (Figure 4.16; Table A6).
Since 2019/20, the split between private and public Children Order applications granted has remained fairly even with rates of 53% (3,975) and 47% (3,564) respectively in 2025/26.
The largest proportion of Children Order applications granted each year since 2019/20 was in relation to private Representation Lower cases (Figure 4.16; Table A6). In 2025/26, these accounted for 40% (3,016) of all Children Order grants.
Figure 4.16: Representation Higher and Representation Lower Children Order Applications Granted by Category of Service, 2019/20 to 2025/26
5. TAXED EXPENDITURE
In the context of legal aid, taxed expenditure is defined as any payment within a case where the costs to be paid to a supplier have been assessed and determined outside of the Agency. This role is typically undertaken by the Taxing Master, or by a District Judge in County Court cases. At this point, a bill of costs is submitted to LSANI, along with the Taxation Certificate produced during this process, to be authorised for payment. This is an important distinction to note when considering annual expenditure as while taxed cases are funded from the legal aid budget in Northern Ireland, the Agency has no control or input to manage such expenditure.
Associated payments to Third Party Payees in these cases are not subject to taxation so are excluded from this analysis as they are dealt with under a separate contract held with LSANI and paid directly.
All other payment requests received by the Agency are subject to routine assessment processes.
It is not possible to provide a complete picture of the number of taxed cases granted in a set time period as it is not until a Report on Case is submitted that the Agency becomes aware that the case has been taxed.
5.1 Taxed Expenditure 2025/26
As outlined in Figure 5.1 and Table A8, taxed expenditure, across both criminal and civil cases, accounted for over a quarter (27%; £32.7m) of all legal aid payments authorised in 2025/26 (£121.0m), a similar proportion to that in 2024/25 (28%; £33.4m).
Figure 5.1 Breakdown of Expenditure, 2024/25 to 2025/26
5.2 Taxed Expenditure by Category of Service
In 2025/26, £2.6m was authorised in Criminal Court of Appeal proceedings, accounting for just over 4% of all criminal spend and 8% of all taxed expenditure.
In contrast, at £30.2 million, the vast majority of taxed expenditure in 2025/26 was authorised against civil cases. This equates to half (50%) of all civil spend (£59.8m), 92% of all taxed expenditure and 61% of all Representation Higher expenditure (Figure 5.2; Table A8).
As in 2024/25, family proceedings comprised the majority of taxed expenditure (£20.0m; 61%).
Figure 5.2: Breakdown of Taxed Expenditure by Category of Service, 2024/25 to 2025/26
Table A9 provides a further breakdown of 2025/26 civil taxed expenditure by Primary Nature.
List of Tables
- Table A1: Applications granted, 2019/20 to 2025/26
- Table A2: Authorised expenditure, 2019/20 to 2025/26
- Table A3: Authorised expenditure, by Provider Type, 2019/20 to
2025/26
- Table A4: Civil Applications granted, by Primary Nature, 2019/20 to
2025/26
- Table A5: Civil authorised expenditure, by Primary Nature, 2019/20
to 2025/26
- Table A6: Annual Children Order applications granted, 2019/20 to
2025/26
- Table A7: Annual Children Order authorised expenditure, 2019/20 to
2025/26
- Table A8: Taxed Expenditure, 2024/25 to 2025/26
- Table A9: Civil Taxed Expenditure, by Primary Nature, 2024/25 to
2025/26
Tables
Table A1
Table A1: Applications granted, 2019/20 to 2025/26
Category of Service | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Criminal Total | All | 48,112 | 37,517 | 42,043 | 43,790 | 44,260 | 41,570 | 43,432 |
Criminal Courts | All | 27,580 | 20,567 | 24,649 | 24,925 | 25,235 | 23,865 | 23,964 |
Crown Court | 2,207 | 1,810 | 2,495 | 2,129 | 2,308 | 2,231 | 2,477 | |
Magistrates' Court | 23,912 | 17,893 | 20,838 | 21,252 | 21,467 | 20,252 | 19,965 | |
Extradition | 72 | 58 | 76 | 74 | 66 | 55 | 35 | |
Criminal Court of Appeal | 44 | 56 | 52 | 36 | 51 | 46 | 37 | |
County Court Appeal | 1,345 | 750 | 1,188 | 1,434 | 1,343 | 1,281 | 1,450 | |
Criminal Advice and Assistance (PACE) | All | 20,532 | 16,950 | 17,394 | 18,865 | 19,025 | 17,705 | 19,468 |
Civil Total | All | 26,186 | 27,258 | 26,919 | 20,186 | 19,621 | 20,003 | 19,195 |
Advice and Assistance Civil | All | 13,552 | 12,954 | 12,088 | 5,885 | 5,055 | 4,565 | 4,285 |
Family | 3,819 | 4,188 | 3,537 | 1,394 | 1,071 | 972 | 795 | |
of which Matrimonial | 518 | 540 | 445 | 146 | 75 | 57 | 36 | |
of which Non-Matrimonial | 3,301 | 3,648 | 3,092 | 1,248 | 996 | 915 | 759 | |
Non-Family | 9,733 | 8,766 | 8,551 | 4,491 | 3,984 | 3,593 | 3,490 | |
Representation Lower | All | 6,100 | 7,610 | 7,588 | 7,119 | 7,455 | 7,719 | 7,261 |
Family | 5,745 | 7,208 | 7,206 | 6,710 | 7,051 | 7,288 | 6,736 | |
of which Matrimonial | 11 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 29 | 15 | 14 | |
of which Non-Matrimonial | 5,734 | 7,193 | 7,192 | 6,694 | 7,022 | 7,273 | 6,722 | |
Non-Family | 355 | 402 | 382 | 409 | 404 | 431 | 525 | |
Representation Higher | All | 6,508 | 6,663 | 7,213 | 7,151 | 7,083 | 7,697 | 7,615 |
Family | 3,690 | 3,519 | 3,892 | 3,568 | 3,756 | 4,114 | 4,003 | |
of which Matrimonial | 989 | 1,019 | 1,235 | 1,145 | 1,132 | 1,170 | 1,204 | |
of which Non-Matrimonial | 2,701 | 2,500 | 2,657 | 2,423 | 2,624 | 2,944 | 2,799 | |
Non-Family | 2,818 | 3,144 | 3,321 | 3,583 | 3,327 | 3,583 | 3,612 | |
Exceptional Funding | All | 26 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 22 | 34 |
Breach of Human Rights | 3 | 5 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | |
Inquest | 23 | 26 | 16 | 25 | 23 | 18 | 28 | |
Grand Total | All | 74,298 | 64,775 | 68,962 | 63,976 | 63,881 | 61,573 | 62,627 |
Table A2
Table A2: Authorised expenditure, 2019/20 to 2025/26
Category of Service | 2019/20(£) | 2020/21(£) | 2021/22(£) | 2022/23(£) | 2023/24(£) | 2024/25(£) | 2025/26(£) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Criminal Total | All | 43,069,210 | 35,916,726 | 48,208,122 | 50,679,427 | 52,964,144 | 60,957,531 | 61,179,074 |
Criminal Courts | All | 39,876,344 | 34,006,808 | 46,236,261 | 48,963,663 | 50,677,748 | 58,757,397 | 56,383,635 |
Crown Court | 19,150,864 | 17,614,895 | 20,965,940 | 25,463,825 | 25,161,037 | 31,637,131 | 30,859,661 | |
Magistrates' Court | 17,522,560 | 11,790,278 | 19,931,555 | 18,460,011 | 19,465,984 | 22,199,846 | 21,523,905 | |
Extradition | 183,217 | 59,827 | 558,655 | 534,174 | 1,322,674 | 1,103,607 | 410,453 | |
Criminal Court of Appeal | 2,310,875 | 4,184,415 | 4,170,322 | 3,747,541 | 3,997,672 | 2,930,475 | 2,580,242 | |
County Court Appeal | 708,828 | 357,394 | 609,789 | 758,112 | 730,382 | 886,339 | 1,009,374 | |
Criminal Advice and Assistance (PACE) | All | 3,192,865 | 1,909,918 | 1,971,861 | 1,715,763 | 2,286,396 | 2,200,134 | 4,795,440 |
Civil Total | All | 39,384,362 | 39,547,639 | 47,079,215 | 51,087,843 | 61,043,048 | 59,033,369 | 59,794,124 |
Advice and Assistance Civil | All | 1,550,421 | 1,776,357 | 2,021,032 | 1,726,941 | 1,693,051 | 2,429,299 | 2,279,984 |
Family | 274,933 | 318,736 | 286,372 | 196,728 | 224,388 | 280,466 | 270,936 | |
of which Matrimonial | 23,515 | 23,250 | 27,728 | 9,598 | 3,659 | 4,814 | 3,270 | |
of which Non-Matrimonial | 251,418 | 295,486 | 258,643 | 187,130 | 220,729 | 275,652 | 267,666 | |
Non-Family | 1,275,488 | 1,457,621 | 1,734,660 | 1,530,213 | 1,468,663 | 2,148,833 | 2,009,048 | |
Representation Lower | All | 6,221,521 | 4,311,065 | 5,271,996 | 6,903,764 | 5,886,778 | 6,984,092 | 7,222,489 |
Family | 5,924,314 | 3,909,129 | 4,920,343 | 6,396,804 | 5,499,279 | 6,467,853 | 6,553,881 | |
of which Matrimonial | 3,113 | 1,083 | 1,788 | 2,369 | 1,842 | 4,951 | 1,740 | |
of which Non-Matrimonial | 5,921,201 | 3,908,046 | 4,918,554 | 6,394,435 | 5,497,437 | 6,462,902 | 6,552,141 | |
Non-Family | 297,207 | 401,936 | 351,654 | 506,960 | 387,498 | 516,240 | 668,609 | |
Representation Higher | All | 30,145,456 | 32,006,423 | 38,746,031 | 42,369,792 | 52,536,182 | 46,150,141 | 49,099,339 |
Family | 21,474,186 | 21,267,531 | 27,185,598 | 30,626,710 | 33,818,947 | 32,887,987 | 34,007,234 | |
of which Matrimonial | 3,044,112 | 3,670,338 | 3,183,570 | 2,989,970 | 4,339,452 | 3,982,866 | 3,894,021 | |
of which Non-Matrimonial | 18,430,075 | 17,597,193 | 24,002,028 | 27,636,740 | 29,479,495 | 28,905,120 | 30,113,213 | |
Non-Family | 8,671,270 | 10,738,892 | 11,560,433 | 11,743,083 | 18,717,235 | 13,262,154 | 15,092,106 | |
Exceptional Funding | All | 1,466,964 | 1,453,794 | 1,040,157 | 87,345 | 927,037 | 3,469,837 | 1,192,311 |
Breach of Human Rights | 562 | 9,462 | 27,465 | 8,622 | 39,928 | 72,880 | 24,296 | |
Inquest | 1,466,402 | 1,444,332 | 1,012,692 | 78,723 | 887,109 | 3,396,957 | 1,168,015 | |
Grand Total | All | 82,453,572 | 75,464,365 | 95,287,337 | 101,767,269 | 114,007,192 | 119,990,900 | 120,973,199 |
Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.
Table A3
Table A3: Authorised expenditure, by Provider Type, 2019/20 to 2025/26
Provider Type | Category of Service | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Solicitor | All | 54,500,110 | 44,519,869 | 55,801,329 | 59,061,226 | 62,884,201 | 67,952,773 | 70,491,135 |
AA-PACE | 3,192,735 | 1,909,841 | 1,971,786 | 1,715,763 | 2,286,205 | 2,200,032 | 4,795,440 | |
Criminal | 23,734,875 | 17,731,270 | 25,576,437 | 26,363,025 | 26,720,798 | 31,827,494 | 31,034,795 | |
Advice and Assistance | 1,483,632 | 1,733,530 | 1,912,131 | 1,513,256 | 1,488,560 | 2,129,403 | 2,032,064 | |
Representation Lower | 6,055,230 | 4,115,174 | 5,078,495 | 6,633,504 | 5,653,824 | 6,664,363 | 6,813,601 | |
Representation Higher | 19,279,246 | 18,280,046 | 20,970,233 | 22,797,757 | 26,387,795 | 24,195,483 | 25,207,333 | |
Exceptional Funding | 754,393 | 750,008 | 292,247 | 37,921 | 347,017 | 935,998 | 607,902 | |
Barrister | All | 27,681,686 | 30,747,086 | 39,155,613 | 42,303,440 | 50,735,190 | 51,534,139 | 50,043,348 |
AA-PACE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Criminal | 16,053,407 | 16,217,773 | 20,567,221 | 22,512,521 | 23,887,921 | 26,877,555 | 25,294,734 | |
Advice and Assistance | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Representation Lower | 147,339 | 177,799 | 166,756 | 248,818 | 201,879 | 290,811 | 393,267 | |
Representation Higher | 10,768,369 | 13,647,727 | 17,673,727 | 19,492,676 | 26,065,370 | 21,831,934 | 23,770,938 | |
Exceptional Funding | 712,571 | 703,787 | 747,909 | 49,424 | 580,020 | 2,533,839 | 584,409 | |
Third Party Payee | All | 271,776 | 197,410 | 330,394 | 402,603 | 387,801 | 503,988 | 438,715 |
AA-PACE | 130 | 78 | 75 | 0 | 190 | 101 | 0 | |
Criminal | 88,063 | 57,765 | 92,602 | 88,117 | 69,029 | 52,348 | 54,106 | |
Advice and Assistance | 66,789 | 42,827 | 108,900 | 213,685 | 204,490 | 299,897 | 247,920 | |
Representation Lower | 18,952 | 18,092 | 26,745 | 21,443 | 31,074 | 28,918 | 15,621 | |
Representation Higher | 97,841 | 78,649 | 102,071 | 79,359 | 83,017 | 122,724 | 121,069 | |
Exceptional Funding | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
Grand Total | All | 82,453,572 | 75,464,365 | 95,287,337 | 101,767,269 | 114,007,192 | 119,990,900 | 120,973,199 |
Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.
Table A4
Table A4: Civil Applications granted, by Primary Nature, 2019/20 to 2025/26
Category of Service | Primary Nature | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Advice and Assistance | All | 13,552 | 12,954 | 12,088 | 5,885 | 5,055 | 4,565 | 4,285 |
Child Proceedings | 1,542 | 1,713 | 1,277 | 624 | 625 | 599 | 508 | |
Criminal Matters | 2,927 | 2,156 | 2,298 | 396 | 190 | 119 | 80 | |
Family | 2,277 | 2,475 | 2,260 | 770 | 446 | 373 | 287 | |
Government | 1,545 | 1,678 | 1,327 | 612 | 656 | 487 | 503 | |
Housing & Debt | 530 | 463 | 355 | 86 | 74 | 37 | 39 | |
Neg / Personal Inj | 1,727 | 1,419 | 1,141 | 341 | 269 | 178 | 108 | |
Other | 2,752 | 2,766 | 3,178 | 2,832 | 2,540 | 2,503 | 2,440 | |
Parole Matters | 252 | 284 | 252 | 224 | 255 | 269 | 320 | |
Representation Lower | All | 6,100 | 7,610 | 7,588 | 7,119 | 7,455 | 7,719 | 7,261 |
Children Order Articles 44 - 58 | 1,409 | 1,694 | 1,642 | 1,663 | 1,872 | 2,110 | 1,853 | |
Children Order Articles 62 - 69 | 124 | 119 | 167 | 148 | 132 | 115 | 70 | |
Children Order Articles 7 - 41 | 2,505 | 2,818 | 2,904 | 2,694 | 2,907 | 3,041 | 2,895 | |
Children Order Generic | 59 | 132 | 155 | 134 | 135 | 151 | 126 | |
Debt / Ejectment | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
Family Homes Domestic Violence | 1,637 | 2,430 | 2,324 | 2,055 | 1,976 | 1,856 | 1,778 | |
Maintenance | 11 | 15 | 14 | 16 | 29 | 15 | 14 | |
Parole Matters | 175 | 219 | 208 | 212 | 241 | 220 | 299 | |
Quasi criminal | 39 | 44 | 23 | 29 | 15 | 45 | 39 | |
Tribunal | 141 | 139 | 151 | 168 | 147 | 166 | 187 | |
Representation Higher | All | 6,508 | 6,663 | 7,213 | 7,151 | 7,083 | 7,697 | 7,615 |
Appeals | 123 | 131 | 208 | 198 | 181 | 163 | 103 | |
Asylum & Immigration | 135 | 101 | 112 | 112 | 186 | 294 | 339 | |
Children Order Articles 44 - 58 | 1,471 | 1,359 | 1,335 | 1,310 | 1,425 | 1,541 | 1,421 | |
Children Order Articles 62 - 69 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 20 | |
Children Order Articles 7 - 41 | 775 | 729 | 827 | 612 | 720 | 754 | 723 | |
Children Order Generic & Child Proceedings | 312 | 273 | 306 | 354 | 316 | 407 | 432 | |
Debt / Ejectment | 22 | 14 | 30 | 36 | 34 | 57 | 47 | |
Family Homes Domestic Violence | 126 | 121 | 158 | 114 | 136 | 139 | 151 | |
High Court Bail | 1,431 | 1,568 | 1,388 | 1,633 | 1,639 | 1,554 | 1,854 | |
Judicial Review | 150 | 128 | 160 | 195 | 159 | 140 | 122 | |
Land / Property | 13 | 22 | 41 | 48 | 41 | 61 | 47 | |
Maintenance | 4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | |
Matrimonial / Civil Partnership | 980 | 1,013 | 1,227 | 1,133 | 1,124 | 1,156 | 1,198 | |
Other | 417 | 535 | 584 | 549 | 432 | 546 | 481 | |
Parole Matters | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
Personal Injury | 520 | 634 | 802 | 823 | 654 | 857 | 657 | |
Quasi criminal | 21 | 20 | 20 | 17 | 19 | 13 | 15 | |
Exceptional Funding | All | 26 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 28 | 22 | 34 |
A breach of the Human Rights Act or enforceable EU rights | 3 | 5 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 6 | |
Inquest | 23 | 26 | 16 | 25 | 23 | 18 | 28 | |
Grand Total | All | 26,186 | 27,258 | 26,919 | 20,186 | 19,621 | 20,003 | 19,195 |
Note: Criminal legal aid is administered by Court Tier and is presented, alongside PACE in Table A1. The information has not been duplicated in Table A4.
Table A5
Table A5: Civil authorised expenditure, by Primary Nature, 2019/20 to 2025/26
Category of Service | Primary Nature | 2019/20(£) | 2020/21(£) | 2021/22(£) | 2022/23(£) | 2023/24(£) | 2024/25(£) | 2025/26(£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Advice and Assistance | All | 1,550,421 | 1,776,357 | 2,021,032 | 1,726,941 | 1,693,051 | 2,429,299 | 2,279,984 |
Child Proceedings | 181,617 | 208,247 | 173,063 | 144,691 | 197,132 | 253,540 | 249,451 | |
Criminal Matters | 188,789 | 179,682 | 224,106 | 138,623 | 46,710 | 41,550 | 28,742 | |
Family | 93,252 | 110,489 | 113,308 | 52,037 | 27,256 | 26,927 | 21,486 | |
Government | 204,143 | 326,748 | 287,548 | 208,260 | 142,685 | 127,759 | 147,714 | |
Housing & Debt | 31,361 | 32,849 | 52,237 | 30,895 | 21,553 | 11,187 | 16,140 | |
Neg / Personal Inj | 256,370 | 235,725 | 225,938 | 143,057 | 107,192 | 79,559 | 21,726 | |
Other | 491,391 | 571,860 | 847,248 | 946,404 | 1,080,590 | 1,806,067 | 1,627,169 | |
Parole Matters | 103,498 | 110,757 | 97,583 | 62,976 | 69,934 | 82,711 | 167,556 | |
Representation Lower | All | 6,221,521 | 4,311,065 | 5,271,996 | 6,903,764 | 5,886,778 | 6,984,092 | 7,222,489 |
Children Order Articles 44 - 58 | 1,970,359 | 1,324,043 | 1,433,448 | 1,825,986 | 1,734,223 | 2,134,692 | 2,288,773 | |
Children Order Articles 62 - 69 | 108,230 | 60,181 | 61,374 | 84,523 | 70,845 | 64,763 | 37,655 | |
Children Order Articles 7 - 41 | 2,799,085 | 1,508,059 | 2,206,987 | 3,173,429 | 2,724,633 | 3,117,464 | 3,080,413 | |
Children Order Generic | 128,069 | 46,064 | 69,265 | 113,211 | 100,492 | 95,140 | 77,317 | |
Family Homes Domestic Violence | 915,458 | 969,700 | 1,147,480 | 1,197,286 | 867,243 | 1,050,843 | 1,067,982 | |
Maintenance | 3,113 | 1,083 | 1,788 | 2,369 | 1,842 | 4,951 | 1,740 | |
Parole Matters | 185,744 | 278,725 | 260,755 | 370,073 | 270,228 | 370,194 | 476,296 | |
Quasi criminal | 14,663 | 18,736 | 12,649 | 9,560 | 9,037 | 11,654 | 19,613 | |
Tribunal | 96,801 | 104,475 | 78,250 | 127,327 | 108,234 | 134,391 | 172,701 | |
Representation Higher | All | 30,145,456 | 32,006,423 | 38,746,031 | 42,369,792 | 52,536,182 | 46,150,141 | 49,099,339 |
Appeals | 1,567,032 | 1,833,824 | 2,680,487 | 1,761,208 | 5,225,101 | 2,098,283 | 2,320,268 | |
Asylum & Immigration | 294,569 | 146,493 | 182,646 | 175,205 | 234,462 | 259,080 | 379,899 | |
Children Order Articles 44 - 58 | 10,688,740 | 11,907,520 | 15,111,190 | 18,061,364 | 19,060,986 | 18,194,689 | 18,789,818 | |
Children Order Articles 62 - 69 | 20,765 | 8,375 | 34,587 | 115,564 | 38,678 | 45,407 | 108,277 | |
Children Order Articles 7 - 41 | 4,795,892 | 3,311,444 | 5,308,724 | 6,037,547 | 6,312,332 | 6,036,090 | 5,887,780 | |
Children Order Generic & Child Proceedings | 2,413,888 | 2,069,031 | 3,084,677 | 2,876,327 | 3,478,885 | 3,662,890 | 4,532,495 | |
Debt / Ejectment | 352,474 | 294,968 | 68,835 | 42,775 | 54,280 | 65,481 | 175,381 | |
Family Homes Domestic Violence | 327,969 | 224,994 | 372,277 | 321,462 | 357,950 | 417,796 | 603,690 | |
High Court Bail | 1,134,431 | 1,237,578 | 1,189,620 | 959,133 | 1,229,905 | 1,195,742 | 1,330,444 | |
Judicial Review | 1,686,881 | 3,519,619 | 3,113,200 | 3,019,392 | 6,109,433 | 4,982,735 | 5,232,159 | |
Land / Property | 69,660 | 26,600 | 83,395 | 155,007 | 112,195 | 337,572 | 220,381 | |
Maintenance | 11,995 | 6,364 | 50,231 | 5,241 | 135,388 | 9,659 | 10,912 | |
Matrimonial / Civil Partnership | 3,026,672 | 3,662,136 | 3,129,291 | 2,974,913 | 4,178,206 | 3,961,695 | 3,873,903 | |
Other | 1,982,630 | 1,912,222 | 2,854,758 | 3,662,144 | 3,031,935 | 2,078,822 | 2,361,659 | |
Parole Matters | 0 | 0 | 300 | 1,015 | 16,690 | 11,580 | 6,960 | |
Personal Injury | 1,729,111 | 1,822,155 | 1,340,870 | 2,158,539 | 2,769,385 | 2,613,197 | 3,239,494 | |
Quasi criminal | 42,748 | 23,099 | 140,942 | 42,957 | 190,370 | 179,422 | 25,818 | |
Exceptional Funding | All | 1,466,964 | 1,453,794 | 1,040,157 | 87,345 | 927,037 | 3,469,837 | 1,192,311 |
A breach of the Human Rights Act or enforceable EU rights | 562 | 9,462 | 27,465 | 8,622 | 39,928 | 72,880 | 24,296 | |
Inquest | 1,466,402 | 1,444,332 | 1,012,692 | 78,723 | 887,109 | 3,396,957 | 1,168,015 | |
Grand Total | All | 39,384,362 | 39,547,639 | 47,079,216 | 51,087,842 | 61,043,048 | 59,033,369 | 59,794,124 |
Note: Criminal legal aid is administered by Court Tier and is
presented, alongside PACE in Table A2. The information has not been
duplicated in Table A5.
Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £
and may not sum due to rounding.
Table A6
Table A6: Annual Children Order applications granted, 2019/20 to 2025/26
Public/Private | Category of Service | Primary Nature | 2019/20 | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Public Children Order | Representation Higher | All | 1,742 | 1,598 | 1,603 | 1,604 | 1,682 | 1,836 | 1,636 |
Representation Higher | Children Order Articles 44 - 58 | 1,471 | 1,359 | 1,335 | 1,310 | 1,425 | 1,541 | 1,421 | |
Representation Higher | Children Order Articles 62 - 69 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 20 | |
Representation Higher | Children Order Generic & Child Proceedings | 263 | 229 | 256 | 284 | 246 | 285 | 195 | |
Representation Lower | All | 1,533 | 1,814 | 1,811 | 1,811 | 2,011 | 2,230 | 1,928 | |
Representation Lower | Children Order Articles 44 - 58 | 1,409 | 1,694 | 1,642 | 1,663 | 1,872 | 2,110 | 1,853 | |
Representation Lower | Children Order Articles 62 - 69 | 124 | 119 | 167 | 148 | 132 | 115 | 70 | |
Representation Lower | Children Order Generic | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 5 | 5 | |
Total | All | 3,275 | 3,412 | 3,414 | 3,415 | 3,693 | 4,066 | 3,564 | |
Private Children Order | Representation Higher | All | 824 | 773 | 877 | 682 | 790 | 876 | 959 |
Representation Higher | Children Order Articles 7 - 41 | 775 | 729 | 827 | 612 | 720 | 754 | 723 | |
Representation Higher | Children Order Generic & Child Proceedings | 49 | 44 | 50 | 70 | 70 | 122 | 236 | |
Representation Lower | All | 2,564 | 2,949 | 3,057 | 2,828 | 3,035 | 3,187 | 3,016 | |
Representation Lower | Children Order Articles 7 - 41 | 2,505 | 2,818 | 2,904 | 2,694 | 2,907 | 3,041 | 2,895 | |
Representation Lower | Children Order Generic | 59 | 131 | 153 | 134 | 128 | 146 | 121 | |
Total | All | 3,388 | 3,722 | 3,934 | 3,510 | 3,825 | 4,063 | 3,975 | |
Grand Total | Total | All | 6,663 | 7,134 | 7,348 | 6,925 | 7,518 | 8,129 | 7,539 |
Table A7
Table A7: Annual Children Order authorised expenditure, 2019/20 to 2025/26
Public/Private | Category of Service | Primary Nature | 2019/20(£) | 2020/21(£) | 2021/22(£) | 2022/23(£) | 2023/24(£) | 2024/25(£) | 2025/26(£) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Public Children Order | Representation Higher | All | 12,657,354 | 13,325,910 | 17,490,149 | 20,451,946 | 21,452,040 | 21,077,905 | 21,740,543 |
Representation Higher | Children Order Articles 44 - 58 | 10,688,740 | 11,907,520 | 15,111,190 | 18,061,364 | 19,060,986 | 18,194,689 | 18,789,818 | |
Representation Higher | Children Order Articles 62 - 69 | 20,765 | 8,375 | 34,587 | 115,564 | 38,678 | 45,407 | 108,277 | |
Representation Higher | Children Order Generic & Child Proceedings | 1,947,849 | 1,410,015 | 2,344,373 | 2,275,018 | 2,352,376 | 2,837,809 | 2,842,447 | |
Representation Lower | All | 2,120,189 | 1,385,551 | 1,495,058 | 1,911,481 | 1,812,248 | 2,202,769 | 2,328,203 | |
Representation Lower | Children Order Articles 44 - 58 | 1,970,359 | 1,324,043 | 1,433,448 | 1,825,986 | 1,734,223 | 2,134,692 | 2,288,773 | |
Representation Lower | Children Order Articles 62 - 69 | 108,230 | 60,181 | 61,374 | 84,523 | 70,845 | 64,763 | 37,655 | |
Representation Lower | Children Order Generic | 41,600 | 1,328 | 236 | 972 | 7,179 | 3,314 | 1,775 | |
Total | All | 14,777,543 | 14,711,461 | 18,985,207 | 22,363,427 | 23,264,288 | 23,280,674 | 24,068,746 | |
Private Children Order | Representation Higher | All | 5,261,931 | 3,970,460 | 6,049,029 | 6,638,856 | 7,438,841 | 6,861,170 | 7,577,828 |
Representation Higher | Children Order Articles 7 - 41 | 4,795,892 | 3,311,444 | 5,308,724 | 6,037,547 | 6,312,332 | 6,036,090 | 5,887,780 | |
Representation Higher | Children Order Generic & Child Proceedings | 466,039 | 659,016 | 740,305 | 601,309 | 1,126,509 | 825,080 | 1,690,048 | |
Representation Lower | All | 2,885,554 | 1,552,795 | 2,276,017 | 3,285,668 | 2,817,946 | 3,209,290 | 3,155,955 | |
Representation Lower | Children Order Articles 7 - 41 | 2,799,085 | 1,508,059 | 2,206,987 | 3,173,429 | 2,724,633 | 3,117,464 | 3,080,413 | |
Representation Lower | Children Order Generic | 86,469 | 44,736 | 69,030 | 112,239 | 93,313 | 91,826 | 75,542 | |
Total | All | 8,147,485 | 5,523,255 | 8,325,046 | 9,924,524 | 10,256,787 | 10,070,460 | 10,733,783 | |
Grand Total | Total | All | 22,925,028 | 20,234,716 | 27,310,253 | 32,287,951 | 33,521,074 | 33,351,134 | 34,802,529 |
Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.
Table A8
Table A8: Taxed Expenditure, 2024/25 to 2025/26
Category of Service | 2024/25(£) | 2025/26(£) | |
|---|---|---|---|
Criminal Total | All | 2,930,475 | 2,580,242 |
Criminal Courts | All | 2,930,475 | 2,580,242 |
Criminal Court of Appeal | 2,930,475 | 2,580,242 | |
Civil Total | All | 30,439,218 | 30,159,599 |
Representation Higher | All | 30,439,218 | 30,159,599 |
Family | 21,549,650 | 19,973,882 | |
of which Matrimonial | 3,401,565 | 3,570,800 | |
of which Non-Matrimonial | 18,148,085 | 16,403,082 | |
Non-Family | 8,889,568 | 10,185,717 | |
Grand Total | All | 33,369,693 | 32,739,841 |
Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.
Table A9
Table A9: Civil Taxed Expenditure, by Primary Nature, 2024/25 to 2025/26
Category of Service | Primary Nature | 2024/25(£) | 2025/26(£) |
|---|---|---|---|
Representation Higher | TOTAL | 30,439,218 | 30,159,599 |
Appeals | 1,803,202 | 2,087,695 | |
Asylum & Immigration | 0 | 0 | |
Children Order Articles 44 - 58 | 11,963,826 | 11,110,754 | |
Children Order Articles 62 - 69 | 0 | 7,327 | |
Children Order Articles 7 - 41 | 3,191,645 | 2,765,472 | |
Children Order Generic & Child Proceedings | 2,394,684 | 2,130,562 | |
Debt / Ejectment | 33,463 | 145,153 | |
Family Homes Domestic Violence | 257,935 | 314,784 | |
High Court Bail | 597,602 | 513,133 | |
Judicial Review | 4,809,364 | 5,172,446 | |
Land / Property | 292,562 | 159,460 | |
Maintenance | 6,754 | 0 | |
Matrimonial / Civil Partnership | 3,384,335 | 3,570,800 | |
Other | 859,565 | 1,179,431 | |
Parole | 0 | 0 | |
Personal Injury | 683,000 | 987,697 | |
Quasi criminal | 161,282 | 14,886 | |
Grand Total | All | 30,439,218 | 30,159,599 |
Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £ and may not sum due to rounding.
PUBLICATION NOTES
Copyright and Licensing
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Official Statistics
Official Statistics are statistics produced by Crown bodies and other organisations listed within an Official Statistics Order, on behalf of the UK government or devolved administrations. They provide a factual basis for assessment and decisions on economic, social and environmental issues at all levels of society. This broad definition of official statistics means that the scope of official statistics can be adapted over time to suit changing circumstances.
Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).
OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.
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TECHNICAL NOTES
Please note that while the complete User Guide associated with Information & Analysis Unit’s Official Statistics is available at LSANI Annual Statistics User Guide, the most relevant technical information related specifically to this bulletin are as follows:
The Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland
The Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland supports the justice system and enables access to justice by administering publicly funded legal services impartially, effectively and efficiently within the established governing legislative and policy framework.
The Agency decides on applications for civil legal services against the statutory financial and legal tests to determine whether an individual should receive support. The Judiciary is responsible for granting criminal legal aid for defendants in criminal cases. The Agency also makes payments to the legal profession for services provided under both the criminal legal aid and civil legal aid services schemes while ensuring value for money.
Definitions
There are different metrics by which to measure trends in legal services over time, both in terms of caseload and cost. These will be discussed in the subsequent sections.
Caseload
Caseload can be quantified in terms of the number of applications received by the Agency in a given time period, or equally by the number of applications granted, or cases that have progressed to conclusion and have been subsequently closed. The caseload statistics contained in this report focus on grants of legal services as this best represents current and future demands on both the Agency itself and the public legal aid fund.
While the Agency is responsible for adjudicating on applications for civil services, the grant of criminal legal aid is a judicial function. This is further detailed in Section 3.1.
It is worth noting that civil applications that are initially rejected and fall outside the scope of this definition are open to a review process, both internally and via an independent appeals panel. Therefore, a small number of these cases may subsequently be granted on appeal, potentially within a different reporting year, following the provision of additional and more complete information.
Suppliers of legal aid services
Since 2019, in order to be granted authority to provide, and be remunerated for, legal aid services in Northern Ireland, suppliers have been required to register (and be approved) on the legal aid case management system (LAMS). There are three main types of supplier:
Solicitor Firms are made up of solicitors who will be the first point of contact for an eligible person seeking access to justice. Certificates are issued to a Firm who may, given the nature and complexity of the case, employ counsel who will be attached to the case.
Barristers may also be referred to as counsel and comprise a mix of Junior (BL) and Senior (KC) counsel.
Third party payees typically provide an interpretation/translation service. Several third parties are registered with LSANI to provide various forms of such services including face-to-face, sign language and written translation services. While each registered supplier is capable of submitting their own requests, including the submission of bills, on occasion a single bill may result in payment to a solicitor firm and counsel – for example, upon submission of a taxed bill of costs drafted by the Taxing Master.
Interpreting data
These figures are built from data snapshots extracted from a live IT system (LAMS) at fixed points in time, ensuring consistency of reporting across years. While care is taken when entering, processing and analysing the data, they are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale administrative recording system.
Furthermore, these databases are dynamic and any updates made subsequent to the taking of an extract, will not be reflected in figures produced from the extract. For this reason, real-time figures may vary slightly to those presented with this publication.
Exercise caution when interpreting these figures as counting rules and data collection methods may have changed over time. Please refer to the linked data sources for further information.
Numbers and Percentages
Within the report, percentages and expenditure figures have rounded either to the nearest whole number or to one decimal place. For this reason it may appear that totals do not appear to tally.
Percentages calculated on base numbers of under 100 should be treated with caution to avoid drawing unwarranted conclusions.