Legal Aid Agency
We will soon be issuing new civil contract schedules beginning on 1 April 2017.
These will replace the following schedules which are ending on 31 March 2017:
- 2010 Standard Civil Contract (mediation)
- 2013 Standard Civil Contract (family, housing and debt, immigration and asylum)
- 2013 Standard Civil Contract (welfare benefits)
- 2015 Standard Civil Contract (actions against the police etc, public law and clinical negligence)
- 2016 Standard Civil Contract (welfare benefits)
- Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme (HPCDS) exclusive schedules
- Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) exclusive schedules
Most of these schedules will run for 12 months and end on 31 March 2018. The only exceptions are the HPCDS and IRC schedules, which will continue to be issued for 6 months.Where to find new schedules
You will be able to view schedules in Contracted Work and Administration (CWA) from 31 March 2017. But HPCDS and IRC schedules will be emailed to you directly and will not be uploaded into CWA.
Reporting work
Work completed in April can be reported from 1 May 2017.
Matter start allocations
In most cases, matter starts will be allocated in accordance with paragraph 1.24-1.27 of the relevant contract specification.
This means matter start allocations will be calculated on the basis that providers receive 100% of the matters that they reported in the previous schedule period.
The only exception is where providers reported 80% or less of their previous allocation. In these circumstances, provider will receive 80% of their previous allocation.
Separate matter start allocations
There are a few instances where a separate allocation approaches will apply. These are outlined here:
| Contract | Allocation |
|---|---|
| 2010 Standard Civil Contract (mediation) | 50 matter starts |
| 2013 standard civil contract (welfare benefits) | The standard number of matter starts for the relevant procurement area |
| 2016 standard civil contract (welfare benefits) | 30 matter starts |
| HPCDS and IRC exclusive schedules | The same allocation as in the previous schedule, subject to any changes resulting from court closures affecting some HPCDS |
Where providers have the power to self-grant a further 50% matter starts they may do so in addition to the amount specified in the schedule. Where a provider does not have the power to self-grant, they can request up to an additional 50% of matter starts from their contract manager.
2014 Standard Civil Contract (mental health and community care)
Current schedules under the 2014 Standard Civil Contract (mental health and community care) end on 31 July 2017. So, new schedules under this contract will be issued in July to cover the period 1 August 2017 to 31 March 2018.
Contract end date
Civil legal aid contracts will end on 31 March 2018. The procurement process for new civil legal aid contracts will begin in May 2017.