This Note contains a brief summary of the development of legal aid, focussing on changes since the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, before summarising the most recent consultation paper, Transforming Legal Aid: Delivering a More Credible and Transparent System. The Note then outlines reactions to the latest proposals and summarises recent parliamentary scrutiny of the proposed changes.
Debate on 11 July: Effect of Cuts in Legal Aid Funding on the Justice System (337 KB , PDF)
This Library Note provides background reading in advance of the debate to be held on 11 July on “the effect of cuts in legal aid funding on the justice system in England and Wales”. The Note contains a brief summary of the development of legal aid, focussing on changes since the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, before summarising the most recent consultation paper, Transforming Legal Aid: Delivering a More Credible and Transparent System. The Note then outlines reactions to the latest proposals and summarises recent parliamentary scrutiny of the proposed changes.
Debate on 11 July: Effect of Cuts in Legal Aid Funding on the Justice System (337 KB , PDF)
At present, prenuptial agreements are not automatically enforceable by courts in England and Wales. However, a landmark ruling by the Supreme Court in 2010 stated that courts should consider such agreements if entered into freely and with full understanding, unless doing so would be unfair. This has prompted calls for reforming marriage laws, including a Law Commission proposal to introduce a new form of marital property agreement.
The Holocaust Memorial Bill is due to have its second reading in the House of Lords on 4 September 2024. This bill seeks to make provision for expenditure on the construction and operation of a Holocaust memorial and learning centre. It would also remove restrictions on building these in Victoria Tower Gardens, next to Parliament. It is a government bill, introduced under the previous Conservative government and continued by the newly elected Labour government. The bill is a hybrid bill, meaning it applies generally but also has a particular effect on specific groups, people or places. This entails additional stages for the bill. The bill is made up of two substantive clauses. It would extend to England and Wales, and apply to England. It would come into force two months after receiving royal assent.
Arbitration is a form of dispute resolution that enables two or more parties to resolve a disagreement privately through a third party instead of going to court. The Arbitration Bill [HL] would amend the Arbitration Act 1996, the principal legislation governing arbitrations in England and Wales and in Northern Ireland. The changes provided for in the bill would implement recommendations from the Law Commission following consultation with the sector.
![Arbitration Bill [HL]: HL Bill 1 of 2024–25](https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/content/uploads/sites/2/2020/09/International-trade-568x426.png)