§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average time between the lodging of a legal aid action in connection with a divorce action and the granting of decree in the Court of Session; and what time elapses between the lodging of the legal aid application and the granting of the legal aid certificate.
§ Mr. Allan StewartThe average time between making an application for legal aid and the granting of a decree for divorce cannot readily be calculated. The time which elapses between applying for civil legal aid and the granting of a legal aid certificate cannot be precisely stated, but most applications are processed within two or three months.
§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of applications for legal aid in civil proceedings were in respect of divorce actions in the year to 31 March 1982 or in the latest convenient date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Allan StewartIn 1980–81, the latest year for which information is available, 56 per cent. of applications for legal aid in civil proceedings were in respect of divorce actions.