HC Deb 03 March 1997 vol 291 cc621-2
31. Mr. Fabricant

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the per capita cost of the legal aid programme relative to those for similar programmes in other EU member states. [16728]

Mr. Streeter

None, but it is widely believed that our legal aid system compares favourably with any in the European Union.

Mr. Fabricant

I am disappointed that my hon. Friend could not provide me with the actual figures. If he could, I believe that they would show that this country is more than generous with legal aid compared with other European countries.

I wish to press my hon. Friend on the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr. Robinson). What action will he take to target legal aid precisely—with particular reference to the area committees that he mentioned earlier?

Mr. Streeter

My hon. Friend will know that the White Paper reforms that we announced last year and the measures that I announced this afternoon will do exactly what he asks: target resources where they are most needed. It is now clear that the fact that our legal aid system is as comprehensive as any in the European Union can be added to the good news of rapidly falling unemployment compared with our European competitors, to demonstrate that life is better in a Conservative Britain.