The rise was confirmed last week by the Ministry of Justice in its response to the consultation on legal aid fees in the Act.
However, Public Law Project (PLP) lawyer Emma Vincent Miller said asylum seekers ‘are routinely unable to access advice.
‘This [fee increase] creates perverse incentives for providers to undertake Illegal Migration Act work to the detriment of other work, such as assisting clients with initial asylum claims in the backlog.’
Vincent Miller said current rates, which were last increased in 1996, are ‘unsustainable’, leading ‘droves’ of lawyers to leave legal aid, creating legal aid advice deserts across the country. Moreover, one refugee charity in London, the area with the highest number of providers, was able to successfully refer clients in only 4.1% of 864 attempts, according to the PLP report, ‘An ocean of unmet need’, published last month.
