§ Mr. Simsasked the Attorney-General if he is satisfied that the Law Society receives sufficient funds to administer the legal aid scheme without undue delay.
§ The Attorney-GeneralYes. The cash limit for legal aid administration for 1986–87 is £24.6 million, an increase of 20 per cent. on the figure for the previous year.
§ Mr. Simsasked the Attorney-General what information he has as to the average time lapse between a solicitor applying for payment in respect of legal aid work undertaken and payment of fees.
§ The Attorney-GeneralComprehensive information on the time taken to process and pay legal aid bills is not202W available. However, the Law Society recently undertook a sample survey of bills paid during February 1986 in certain area offices from which the following average figures were derived.
Weeks Civil legal aid: (a) taxed bills Five (b) Regulation 100 bills Six Green Form Bills Four Assistance by way of Representation bills Nine Criminal legal aid in Magistrates' Courts bills Seven In all cases these figures represent the length of time from receipt of the bill by the Law Society to authorisation of payment by the area office. In the case of civil legal aid taxed bills the figure does not include the length of time taken on taxation.
Payment of bills relating to criminal legal aid in the higher courts is the responsibility of the courts and not the Law Society. Well over 90 per cent. of these bills are paid within four weeks of the claim being lodged.