Expression of interest for nationwide PDLA holiday roster 2024/25

Overview

Since 2020, Legal Aid Services (LAS) have implemented a temporary nationwide roster for the Police Detention Legal Assistance (PDLA) service over the Christmas/New Year holiday period.

The purpose of this roster is to provide timely access to justice throughout this period by ensuring Police are able to continue to contact PDLA lawyers during a time where it can be more difficult to facilitate contact due to leave and unavailability.

In order to ensure timely access to justice throughout the holiday period this year, LAS intends to implement a similar nationwide roster from 13 December 2024 to 6 January 2025. This will run in a similar manner to the previous years, with PDLA lawyers being paid a flat hourly rate to deliver the service during rostered shifts.

The purpose of this survey is to give PDLA providers a chance to indicate whether they would like to be included on this year’s nationwide holiday period roster. Providers who are interested in being on a nationwide roster over this period will be given a chance to indicate what dates they would be available to be rostered on.

Responses to the survey will be used to formulate and implement the holiday roster. We will advise you of the outcome of this survey in due course.