§ Mr. Howeasked the Minister without Portfolio (1) what is the average lapse of time between an initial application for a legal aid certificate and the granting of a certificate; what part of such average lapse of time is attributable to the processing of such application by the National Assistance Board; and whether there is any difference between such average time in London and in the country as a whole;
(2) what is the average lapse of time between the receipt by the National Assistance Board of that part of an application for legal aid with which they are concerned and the Board's completion of their consequent inquiry into the means of the applicant and their notification of the result of such inquiry; and whether there is any difference between such average time in London and in the country as a whole.
§ Sir Eric FletcherThe average time lapse between the receipt by a local committee of the Law Society of an application for a civil aid certificate and the date on which the applicant is notified of the committee's decision is 33 days over the country as a whole, of which 24 days are taken by the investigations of the National Assistance Board. In London the average time is 51 days and 33 days respectively.