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The Funding Code

On this page:

• What is the Funding Code?
• What do we fund?
• Updates to the Funding Code
• Public Interest Reports
• For more information

What is the Funding Code?

The Funding Code is the set of rules we use to decide what individual cases we will fund through civil legal aid. It comes in three parts:

• Funding Code: Criteria
• Funding Code: Procedures
• Funding Code: Decision Making Guidance.

All are in the Documents panel.

The versions shown apply from October 2007. The Decision Making Guidance has been divided into several parts:

• General Principles 
• Family 
• Immigration 
• Exceptional Funding
• Other Guidance.

What do we fund?

The Criteria define what services the LSC will fund ranging from basic legal advice to representation in court proceedings.

Different criteria are set for different types of case according to the Lord Chancellor's priorities.

The Procedures set out how the LSC makes decisions about funding civil legal aid. They explains the four ways services are delivered:

• Controlled Work
• Licensed Work
• Other Contracted Work
• Non-Contracted Work.

The Decision Making Guidance helps inform practitioners working under the Funding Code.

It should be considered along with the:

• provisions of the Funding Code Criteria and Procedures
• the Access to Justice Act 1999
• directions, orders and regulations made under the Act
• provisions of the Human Rights Act 1998.

Statutory material is on the Legislation pages.

Updates to the Funding Code

We update the Funding Code to reflect:

• changes in the law
• policy developments following consultation.

Please visit the Guidance on funding decisions page to read more.

Public Interest Reports

The LSC established an advisory panel to help our regional offices make decisions on cases that may have a public interest element. This can affect:

• whether a case is within scope
• how the merits, cost benefit and affordability of a case should be approached.

Visit the Public Interest Reports page to read more.

For more information

The Funding Code is in the Documents panel. It is also in Volume 3 of the LSC Manual.

Please contact the Customer Service team with any other questions.

Please contact the Family team for family related queries.

Statutory material is under the Legislation pages.

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Last updated: 22 February 2008