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Legal Aid: Civil news and updates

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shawn mach
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The Legal Aid Agency has published a ‘headline intentions document’ setting out its approach for procuring welfare benefits services from 1 November 2016 -

‘We will be procuring a new Standard Civil Contract (Welfare Benefits) 2016 which will replace the 2014 Standard Civil Contract to deliver services in the North and South West and Wales procurement areas.

In March 2016 there will be an opportunity for organisations to express an interest in delivering welfare benefits services under the new Contract. Organisations that express an interest will be invited to submit a tender in April/May 2016.

New contracts will end in line with all other civil legal aid contracts on 31 March 2018. ‘

NB - the ‘other’ contract - the Standard Civil Contract (Welfare Benefits)  2013 covering the London & South East and the Midlands & East Procurement Areas - runs to 31 March 2018.

More @ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welfare-benefits-tender-2016

[ Edited: 23 Jan 2019 at 12:10 pm by shawn mach ]
shawn mach
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New info re housing, debt and community care, amongst other areas of law ...

Civil news: 2016/17 schedules and 2013 contract extensions

shawn mach
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New from the Legal Aid Agency:

We are inviting expressions of interest from organisations interested in delivering legal aid welfare benefits services.

These would be delivered under the new 2016 Standard Civil Contract (Welfare Benefits) from 1 November 2016 in the North and/or the South West & Wales procurement areas.

The deadline for submitting an expression of interest is 12 noon on 14 April 2016.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-expressions-of-interest-for-welfare-benefits-services

 

shawn mach
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Expressions of interest invited for housing and debt services in Hull:

We are inviting expressions of interest from organisations holding a 2013 Standard Civil Contract for the delivery of housing and debt services in the City of Kingston upon Hull procurement area.

This opportunity is open to all holders of the 2013 Standard Civil Contract, and is not limited to current housing and debt providers ...

We are interested in hearing from organisations able to meet the requirements of the 2013 Standard Civil Contract in full.

But we will also consider applications from organisations which feel unable to fully meet the ‘permanent presence’ or the ‘supervisor’ requirements.

Organisations interested in delivering these services must complete and return the expression of interest document by the deadline of 12 noon on Thursday 14 April 2016.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-expressions-of-interest-for-housing-and-debt-services-in-hull

 

shawn mach
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The Legal Aid Agency has published an updated list of providers:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directory-of-legal-aid-providers

A stark reminder that there are only 14 in the welfare benefit category across England and Wales ...

shawn mach
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Expressions of interest sought for the delivery of housing and debt services in the Surrey procurement area.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-housing-and-debt-services-in-surrey

shawn mach
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Here’s the Law Society Gazette on the Surrey tender news:

Further indications of legal aid ‘advice deserts’ have emerged with news that the government is urgently trying to plug a gap in the provision of housing and debt services in the south of England .....

http://www.lawgazette.co.uk/law/laa-invitation-highlights-second-legal-aid-desert/5055063.article

shawn mach
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Welfare benefits tender update from the Legal Aid Agency: 

We have invited eligible organisations to tender for Welfare Benefits Services commencing on 1 November 2016 in one or both of the following procurement areas:

- North and/or
- South West and Wales.

The deadline for submitting responses to this tender is 12pm on 10 June 2016.

Organisations must have submitted an expression of interest to participate in this procurement and been eligible to respond to this invitation to tender. Organisations wishing to deliver publicly funded welfare benefits services from 1 November 2016 in either of these procurement areas must submit a response to this invitation to tender.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welfare-benefits-tender-2016

 

shawn mach
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The Legal Aid Agency has also published a set of contract documents for the 2016 Standard Civil Contract (Welfare Benefits) which will govern the provision of legal aid services for welfare benefits in the North and South West and Wales procurement areas from 1 November 2016.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/standard-civil-contract-welfare-benefits-2016

shawn mach
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New from the Legal Aid Agency:

Welfare Benefits 2013 extension

Notice has been given to the providers of the 2013 Standard Civil Contract (Welfare Benefits) that the contract will be extended to 31 March 2018.

This is in order to align welfare benefits with the other civil categories as set out in the LAA’s ‘Headline Intentions for alignment of face to face contracts’. This was published on 5 November 2015.

The 2013 Standard Civil Contract (Welfare Benefits) governs the provision of Welfare Benefits advice across the London & the South East and Midlands & the East procurement areas. This is currently due to end on 31 October 2016.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-family-mediation-and-welfare-benefit-extensions

 

shawn mach
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New welfare benefit / legal aid regs, in force from 1 November 2016:

This instrument makes amendments to regulations made under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (“LASPO”), which are needed because of the introduction of a new contract to govern relations between the Lord Chancellor and providers of legal aid in the category of Welfare Benefits, known as the 2016 Standard Civil Contract (Welfare Benefits).

The amendments will ensure that remuneration to legal aid providers for the Welfare Benefits category of law apply in relation to work carried out under the 2016 Standard Civil Contract (Welfare Benefits); and that certain costs are excepted from the charge on costs payable to a legally aided individual.

Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration and Statutory Charge) (Amendment) Regulations 2016

shawn mach
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Expressions of interest invited from organisations holding a 2013 Standard Civil Contract to deliver housing and debt services in the Cambridgeshire procurement area.

(Open to all holders of the 2013 Standard Civil Contract ... not limited to current housing and debt providers)

Deadline: 12 noon, Tuesday 8 November 2016.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-housing-and-debt-services-in-cambridgeshire

Daphne
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Results for who was awarded a 2016 Standard Civil Contract (Welfare Benefits) to deliver Welfare Benefits Services in the North and the South West & Wales Procurement Areas from 1 November 2016 -

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/welfare-benefits-tender-2016

shawn mach
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Expressions of interest sought to deliver housing and debt services in Warrington and Halton and Calderdale

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-opportunity-to-deliver-housing-and-debt-services

shawn mach
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New from the Legal Aid Agency ...

‘Our approach to civil legal aid work from 2018’

A headline intentions document is now available setting out our approach for civil legal aid contracts from 2018. We intend to award new contracts with services starting from 1 April 2018. The new contracts will be for specialist legal advice delivered both face to face and via the Civil Legal Advice telephone helpline.

A tender for these contracts will open in April 2017.

NB - with regards to welfare benefits, it says -

We do not intend to separately procure welfare benefits services. Welfare benefits will be procured jointly with the categories of housing and debt. Organisations tendering to deliver housing and debt work will also be able to apply for a fixed allocation of welfare benefits matters, subject to meeting additional welfare benefits supervisor requirements. Organisations will be able to meet this by having a housing & debt supervisor and a separate welfare benefits supervisor or by having a supervisor who can supervise all three categories. The housing and debt and the welfare benefits supervisor declaration forms will therefore be merged into a single form. All welfare benefits work under the 2018 face to face contract will be paid at the rates set out in the Civil Legal Aid (Remuneration) Regulations which is currently a fixed fee of £208 excluding VAT.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-our-approach-to-civil-legal-aid-work-from-2018
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-2018-contracts-tender

 

shawn mach
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New consultation:

Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme: commissioning sustainable services

Deadline: 17 March 2017

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/housing-possession-court-duty-scheme-commissioning-sustainable-services

shawn mach
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Expressions of interest sought from 2013 Standard Civil Contract holders for the delivery of housing and debt services in the North Hertfordshire procurement area.

Deadline: 12pm on Thursday 9 March 2017.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-opportunity-to-deliver-housing-and-debt-services—2

shawn mach
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Expressions of interest are invited from 2013 Standard Civil Contract holders currently providing immigration and asylum services to deliver supplementary matter starts in these access points:

- London and/or
- Mid, South West and Coastal Kent

This is because of increases in

- Demand from asylum seekers being transferred from other areas of the UK to London by National Asylum Seeker Support (NASS)
- Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) following the closure of the camp at Calais

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-opportunity-to-deliver-immigration-and-asylum-work

shawn mach
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Update re the civil 2018 contract:

We have reviewed and revised our planned start date for the procurement process for new Civil Legal Advice and civil face to face legal aid contracts and this will now open in May 2017. We plan to use a single stage process i.e. running the SQ and ITT stages at the same time ....

... This approach differs from the one originally outlined in the Headline Intentions documents for civil and family mediation services which we published on GOV.UK. At that time we were considering running a two stage process for the SQ and ITT elements and starting the procurement process a little earlier in April 2017.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-2018-contracts-tender

shawn mach
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shawn mach
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Legal Aid Agency procurement update – civil 2018 contract

In light of the announcement that a General Election is to be held on 8 June it has been necessary to revise our planned start date for the procurement process for new Civil Legal Advice (CLA) and civil face to face legal aid contracts.

We will provide further information on timescales for the procurement process as soon as possible.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-2018-contracts-tender

shawn mach
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Legal Aid Agency notifies holders of 2014 Standard Civil Contracts*, whose contract was due to expire on 31 July 2017, of a contract extension for a further 8 months -

The LAA now requires you to continue to provide the Contract Work upon the same terms and conditions as detailed within your Contract until 23:59:59 on 31 March 2018.

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/612314/2014-standard-civil-contract-notice-of-extension.pdf

* relates to face-to-face legal aid services in mental health and community care

shawn mach
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Legal Aid Agency update:

Contract extension affecting mental health and community care work for the 2014 Standard Civil Contract that was announced in May 2017 is to come in to effect by 31 July

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-extension-date-set-for-2014-standard-civil-contract

shawn mach
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New regs just out providing for legal aid income & capital disregards in relation to payments made to victims of the Grenfell Tower fire ..

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/745/made

shawn mach
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shawn - 09 March 2017 10:29 AM

Expressions of interest are invited from 2013 Standard Civil Contract holders currently providing immigration and asylum services to deliver supplementary matter starts in these access points:

- London and/or
- Mid, South West and Coastal Kent

This is because of increases in

- Demand from asylum seekers being transferred from other areas of the UK to London by National Asylum Seeker Support (NASS)
- Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) following the closure of the camp at Calais

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-opportunity-to-deliver-immigration-and-asylum-work

Update on successful bids: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/631672/immigration-asylum-eoi-notice-of-award.pdf

 

 

shawn mach
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From the Law Society Gazette ...

Legal Aid practitioners being left ‘high & dry’ waiting for news on when they can bid for new civil contracts due to start from next April.

https://www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/solicitors-left-high-and-dry-on-tenders/5062178.article

shawn mach
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Legal Aid Agency to open tenders for new 2018 civil legal aid contracts across all categories in mid-September 2017

More: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-2018-contracts-tender-timetable

shawn mach
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Tender process for new 2018 civil contracts start today .....

Tenders for new 2018 civil contracts start 19 September 2017.
We are opening the tender process for 2018 civil contracts in 3 areas of work:

- face to face contracts – starts 19 September
- specialist CLA telephone advice – late September
- Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme (HPCDS) – starts October

Further announcements will be made shortly with more information about the CLA and HPDCS processes.

When will the new contracts begin?
Services under new face to face and CLA contracts will begin on 1 September 2018. HPCDS contracts will follow on 1 October 2018.

If you wish to work in these areas from these dates then you will need to take part in the tender process.

How long will the contracts last?
Each 2018 Civil Contract will initially run until 31 August 2021, with an option for LAA to extend for up to a further 2 years.

Deadline for tender submissions: All bids must be submitted through the LAA’s eTendering system by 5pm on 10 November 2017.

More: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-tender-process-for-2018-contracts-opens

shawn mach
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The procurement process for telephone-based Civil Legal Advice to commence on 1 September 2018 has opened ..... open to both existing contract holders and new entrants ..

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-2018-tender-update-on-cla-contracts
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-2018-contracts-tender

shawn mach
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Tender process for 2018 Housing Possession Court Duty Scheme contracts now open

The tender process will be a competitive process based on quality and price. We intend to reduce the overall number of HPCDS areas from 113 to 47, creating larger contracts. The inclusion of price competition in the tender will allow the market to set the rate according to the cost of delivering the service.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/civil-news-2018-tender-update-on-hpcds-contracts

shawn mach
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Early Day Motion re impact of cuts to legal aid since April 2013:

http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2017-19/369