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Consultation on legal aid published
The consultation paper on legal aid Transforming legal aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system has just been published and is open for responses until 4 June 2013. The Ministry of Justice summarises the proposals as follows:
•removing criminal legal aid in prison law cases that do not justify the use of public money;
•introducing an income threshold on Crown Court legal aid;
•introducing a residency test;
•discouraging weak judicial review cases;
•making it harder for claimants to use civil legal aid to bring speculative cases;
•introducing competition for legally-aided advice and representation (not including Crown Court advocacy);
•restructuring the Crown Court advocacy fee scheme;
•reducing the amount spent on criminal very high cost cases by 30 per cent; and
•reducing certain legal aid fees paid in civil cases and to experts.
Maura McGowan QC, chairperson of the Bar, said: ‘The government’s announcements today go much wider than criminal legal aid. There is a vast amount of detail, which we will consider carefully and respond to in detail. Our primary objective must be to have a justice system which protects and promotes the rule of law, is cost-effective and provides access to justice for all.’