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Section 17: Qualifying for representation

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 · 2012 c. 10View on legislation.gov.uk

Part 1: Legal aid

The relevant authority must determine whether an individual qualifies under this Part for representation for the purposes of criminal proceedings (whether provisionally or otherwise) in accordance with—

section 21 (financial resources) and regulations under that section, and
the interests of justice.

In deciding what the interests of justice consist of for the purposes of such a determination, the following factors must be taken into account—

whether, if any matter arising in the proceedings is decided against the individual, the individual would be likely to lose his or her liberty or livelihood or to suffer serious damage to his or her reputation,
whether the determination of any matter arising in the proceedings may involve consideration of a substantial question of law,
whether the individual may be unable to understand the proceedings or to state his or her own case,
whether the proceedings may involve the tracing, interviewing or expert cross-examination of witnesses on behalf of the individual, and
whether it is in the interests of another person that the individual be represented.

The Lord Chancellor may by order amend subsection (2) by adding or varying a factor.

Regulations may prescribe circumstances in which making representation available to an individual for the purposes of criminal proceedings is to be taken to be in the interests of justice for the purposes of a determination under section 16.

In this section "the relevant authority", in relation to an individual and criminal proceedings, means the person who is authorised by or under section 18, 19 or 20 to determine (provisionally or otherwise) whether the individual qualifies under this Part for representation for the purposes of the proceedings.

About this text

This legislation text comes from legislation.gov.uk. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. These source and reuse terms cover the legislation text, not Remedy's commentary.

Reuse reviewed 21 August 2026 under Open Government Licence v3.0.