Contingency measures for civil legal aid work have finally been scaled back seven months after the Legal Aid Agency’s systems were shut down following a cyber attack.

The agency announced last week that all applications, amendments and prior authorities must now be submitted via the Civil Apply system or CCMS, not via email. Crime systems were restored in September.

Contingency measures will now be used only when a provider cannot access the system due to a technical issue affecting only them, if a wider issue is affecting system access for everyone, when work has been submitted under contingency arrangements but has yet to appear on CCMS, or when a provider cannot access the system for a new contract.

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It is coming up to a year since the LAA’s systems were hacked – although the breach was not spotted until April and systems shut down the following month.

Asked by Conservative MP Nick Timothy this month about progress in assisting law enforcement agencies, justice minister Sarah Sackman said ‘sensitive investigations’ remain ongoing but her department was continuing to work with the National Crime Agency to monitor the dark web. ‘As far as we are aware, no data has been shared or put out in the public domain. If it is identified that a specific individual is at risk, action will be taken to try to contact them,’ Sackman said.