The Civil Legal Aid (Housing and Asylum Accommodation) Order 2023

Amendment of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012

2.—(1) Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (civil legal services) is amended as follows.

(2) In paragraph 31 (immigration: accommodation for asylum-seekers etc.), in sub-paragraph (1)(a)—

(a) after “95”, insert “or 95A”;

(b) after “asylum-seekers”, insert “and failed asylum-seekers”.

(3) In paragraph 33 (loss of home)—

(a) after sub-paragraph (1) insert—

“(1A) Civil legal services provided to an individual, where the Director has determined the individual qualifies for any services described in sub-paragraph (1) (and has not withdrawn the determination), in relation to –

(a) housing matters;

(b) debt;

(c) a benefit, allowance, payment, credit or pension under—

(i) a social security enactment;

(ii) the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979(1);

(iii) Part 4 of the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008(2);

(d) a council tax reduction scheme.”,

(b) after sub-paragraph (7) insert—

“(7A) Sub-paragraph (1A) is subject to the exclusions in Part 2 of this Schedule, with the exception of paragraphs 14 and 15 of that Part.”;

(c) after sub-paragraph (8) insert—

“(8A) The services described in sub-paragraph (1A) do not include advocacy.”;

(d) for sub-paragraph (9), substitute—

“(9) In this paragraph—

“council tax reduction scheme” has the meaning given in paragraph 8A(4);

“home”, in relation to an individual, means the house, caravan, houseboat or other vehicle or structure that is the individual’s only or main residence, subject to sub-paragraph (10);

“housing matters” means matters which concern—

(i)

the possession of, status of, terms of occupation, repair of, improvement of, quiet enjoyment of, or payment of rent or other charges for, an individual’s home;

(ii)

the rights of leaseholders under the terms of their lease or under any statutory provision ;

(iii)

the allocation and transfer of housing and the provision of sites for occupation,

but does not include disputes relating to any boundary of a property;

“social security enactment” has the meaning given in paragraph 8(3).”

(1)

1979 c. 17.

(2)

2008 c. 6.