§ Mr. Dellasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further consideration he has given to the proposal that there should be duty solicitors in magistrates' courts; what information he has received from the Law Society regarding the cost of such a scheme; and whether he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. CarlisleExperimental "duty solicitor" schemes have recently been introduced at several magistrates' courts, with the help of the financial provisions of the Legal Advice and Assistance Act 1972. The Law Society has been conducting a survey of the operation of legal aid in criminal cases, which will take account of these experiments. My right hon. Friend proposes to await the results of this study, which he hopes to receive before the end of the summer, before reaching any conclusions on this subject.