Justice made only a small appearance in the chancellor’s spring statement today – in the form of £8m from a new £3.25bn ‘transformation fund’ to reduce the amount of ‘form filling’ probation officers have to do.

HM Treasury's budget document also announces the publication of a consultation on ‘proposals to strengthen HMRC’s ability to take action against those tax advisers who facilitate non‑compliance from their clients.’

The Law Society was relieved not to see justice cuts announced, but disappointed at the absence of a ‘proper investment plan’.

Society chief executive Ian Jeffery said: ‘A fair and effective justice system requires greater funding and bold decisions. The upcoming spending review needs to provide more funding and resources to fix the courts system, boost legal aid and protect our communities.’

With government departments expected to reduce running costs by 15% by the end of this decade, the FDA, a trade union for civil servants, said this will have significant ramifications for the government’s ability to achieve its Safer Streets Mission.

Robert Eagleton, FDA officer for the MoJ, said: ‘Ultimately, there simply isn’t a tranche of easy efficiencies to be made. The MoJ is a delivery department – the vast majority of staff work in operational roles and around 70% of the MoJ’s budget is spent on the probation service and the courts and tribunals service. Consequently, it is hard to see how the MoJ can deliver any major savings without some pretty unpalatable cuts to integral services.’

All eyes will be on the chancellor’s spending review in June to see what lies ahead for justice. The spending review will be accompanied by publication of the government’s Industrial Strategy, which will set out a 10-year plan to ‘unlock investment and accelerate growth’.

Jeffery said: ‘The industrial strategy will be a key opportunity to unleash the legal sector. In an increasingly uncertain world, as the chancellor rightly said, legal services can provide a bedrock of stability on which sustainable and resilient growth can be built.’