3.—(1) The Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations 2013(1) are modified as follows.
(2) Regulation 2(1) has effect as if—
(a)in the definition of “relevant contract”—
(i)after “(Welfare benefits)” in the second place it occurs, the “or” were omitted;
(ii)after the definition of “the 2018 Standard Civil Contract” there were inserted “or the Early Legal Advice Pilot Scheme Contract”;
(b)in the final paragraph—
(i)after “(Welfare Benefits)” in the second place it occurs, the “and” were omitted;
(ii)after “the 2018 Standard Civil Contract” there were inserted “and the Early Legal Advice Pilot Scheme Contract”.
(3) Schedule 1 has effect as if—
(a)in paragraph 1 (interpretation), after sub-paragraph (2) there were inserted—
“(2A) In this Schedule “the Early Legal Advice Pilot” means the pilot scheme established by the Early Legal Advice Pilot Scheme Order 2022.”,
(b)in Part 1 (civil standard and graduated fees), after Table 1 there were inserted—
| Category Definition | Standard Fee |
|---|---|
| Legal help provided under the Early Legal Advice Pilot | £200.70”, |
(c)in Part 2 (hourly rates – controlled work), after Table 7(d) there were inserted—
| Activity | Non-London Rate |
|---|---|
| Preparation and Attendance | £57.43 per hour |
| Travel and Waiting Time | £32.17 per hour |
| Routine Letters(2) Out and Telephone Calls | £4.56 per item”. |
S.I. 2013/422, as amended by 2013/2877, 2014/7 and 586, 2015/325, 2016/983, 2020/100, 515 and 1001. There are other amendments to this instrument but none is relevant.
An explanation of “routine letter” is contained in the guidance published by the Lord Chancellor under section 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. The guidance can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/funding-and-costs-assessment-for-civil-and-crime-matters and a hard copy can be obtained from Ministry of Justice, 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ.