The Civil Legal Aid (Financial Resources and Payment for Services) (Amendment) Regulations 2020

These Regulations amend the Civil Legal Aid (Financial Resources and Payment for Services) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/480) (“the 2013 Regulations”). The 2013 Regulations make provision about the rules the Director of Legal Aid Casework (the “Director”) must apply to determine whether an individual’s financial resources are such that the individual is eligible for civil legal services under Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (c. 10). Chapters 3 and 4 of Part 2 of the 2013 Regulations set out the rules on calculating income and capital. In particular, regulation 24 sets out the payments that must be disregarded from the calculation of gross or disposable income, as well as the payments the Director has a discretion to disregard. Regulation 40 makes similar provision in relation to the calculation of disposable capital.