Legal Aid (Hansard, 3 November 1986)

§ 52. Mr. Richard Page
asked the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on the recent Treasury review of legal aid.

§ The Solicitor-General
The review team comprised officials from the efficiency unit, the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Treasury. The period of consultation on the recommendations ended on 30 September. The Government are now analysing the responses and an announcement of our decisions will be made as soon as possible. At present this seems likely to be about the turn of the year.

Mr. Brown
This is a good starting point for a debate on legal aid. Will it be possible for Parliament to debate the report in Government time? Inasmuch as the report highlights the large sums of money now being spent through the legal aid scheme, could the Solicitor-General tell us whether there ought to be a Government Minister directly accountable to the House of Commons for that expenditure?

§ The Solicitor-General
The allocation of Government time is a matter not for me but for my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House. I note the hon. Gentleman's point about direct ministerial accountability. I am not sure that direct accountability would necessarily reduce expenditure from the public purse, but I note the point and will refer it to those concerned.

§ Mr. Heddle
Without anticipating what the report might say, does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that there are circumstances in which constituents of all right hon. and hon. Members have problems, particularly the low-paid, those on small incomes and, sometimes, those on retirement pensions, when they wish to appeal against rating assessments, and in order to put forward sensible appeals require professional advice? Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that legal aid in certain deserving cases might be worth while?

§ The Solicitor-General
It is easy to think of types of dispute in which our constituents would like legal aid but do not have it at the moment. The present Lord Chancellor has enlarged the area of legal aid. I cannot hold out any hope to my hon. Friend that further enlargements are an immediate prospect.