§ 37. Mr. Gerald Bowdenasked the Attorney-General if he will make it his policy to take over the funding of law centres currently funded under the urban aid programme when the funding under that programme expires.
§ The Solicitor-General (Sir Patrick Mayhew)No, Sir. The reallocation of ministerial duties is not a matter for individual Ministers.
§ Mr. BowdenWill my hon. and learned Friend acknowledge the good work that is done by many law 670 centres, especially by the Southwark law project? After the ending of urban aid for that project it is likely to be funded by Southwark council, which is a recipient of many of the complaints and cases that the centre receives and conducts on behalf of clients. Therefore, there is likely to be a conflict and unsatisfactory funding.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralI am sure that my hon. Friend is right in saying that the Southwark law project does extremely good work. That being so, I hope that the local authority will not stint support for it. It would be wrong for any local authority, in determining its funding responsibilities, to take account of the fact that a law centre encourages individuals to draw attention to any impropriety of such an authority.
§ Mr. EasthamMay I underline the valuable work that law centres undertake, especially on behalf of the disadvantaged and the poor in inner city areas? Is it not about time that a thorough appraisal was undertaken with a view to the Government coming to some decisions that will mean that local authorities do not have to find money to fund law centres through urban aid, bearing in mind all the restrictions that Government Departments place upon them?
§ The Solicitor-GeneralI am sure that the hon. Gentleman is right in saying that many law advisory centres undertake extremely good work. However, they are local voluntary organisations and do not form part of the statutory legal services framework. As such, their funding falls for local decision, especially local authority decision.
§ Mr. Simon HughesDoes the Solicitor-General not recognise that the recommendation of the Lord Chancellor's advisory committee was that money should be found for the continuance of law centres, and that the complacent answer given by his noble Friend in another place last Monday suggested that the Government have no intention of doing anything to help any of the law centres throughout the land? Is he aware that that is unacceptable to those in the legal profession, both the Bar and solicitors, and to the majority of clients who depend upon law centres and Government funding for them for any hope of obtaining decent legal representation in cases which are often important?
§ The Solicitor-GeneralI recognise the recommendation to which the hon. Gentleman referred, but I do not recognise the conclusion that he seeks to draw from it. Law centres are part of the local framework by which the statutory legal services are supplemented. Therefore, their funding must be subject to local decision. I believe that that is the right way of proceeding. It is for local authorities to determine their priorities, not for central Government to impose priorities upon them.