Report: Government ditches legal aid bidding proposal
The Government will scrap plans to award legal aid contracts to the lowest bidders following criticisms it would reduce justice to a "factory mentality", the Times (£) reports.
Justice Secretary Chris Grayling reportedly ditched the proposals after drawing up the Government's latest legal aid reforms with the support of the Law Society.
Instead, law firms seeking a legal aid contract will be subject to certain criteria and sustainability but price will not be a factor, the newspaper said.
Barrister-turned-MP Karl Turner had earlier raised fears that price-competitive tendering for legal aid would lead to large companies like G4S and Serco dominating the market at the expense of smaller firms with greater expertise.