§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the estimated savings from figures previously projected for 1993–94 of the cuts proposed to expenditure announced in his answer of 12 November,Official Report, columns 863–64, in respect of (a) the reduction of the civil legal aid lower disposable income limit, (b) the increase from one quarter to one third in the contribution taken from income above the lower disposable income limit and below the upper disposable income limit, (c) the proposed changes from 1 April 1993 to green form legal advice and (d) the proposed changes in financial eligibility to criminal legal aid announced in the same parliamentary answer.
Mr. John M. TaylorThe Government's expenditure plans 1992–93 to 1994–95 for the Lord Chancellor's and Law Officers Departments [Cm. 1910, published 14 February 1992] showed planned expenditure on legal aid in 1993–94 of £885 million. Estimated outturn for 1992–93 is £1100 million. The new plan for 1993–94 is for expenditure of £1285 million. Without the changes to the financial eligibility conditions for civil legal aid and to the level of contributions which were announced on 12 November 1992 [House of CommonsOfficial Report, columns 863–64] expenditure in 1993–94 would have risen by a further £39.5 million and without the changes to legal advice and assistance by a further £3.7 million. I do not expect the changes to criminal legal aid to have a significant effect on expenditure.
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will give the timetable for the Lord Chancellor's review of financial eligibility for legal aid following the announcements in his answer of 12 November,Official Report, columns 863–64; what is the current composition of the review team; and on what dates the review team has met since 1 January.
Mr. John M. TaylorThe Lord Chancellor will shortly issue a consultation paper on changes to criminal legal aid regulations. This consultation will complete the criminal stage of the financial conditions review. The responses to the consultation paper issued at the end of the civil stage of the review indicated that there was no consensus in favour of the proposals put forward. In the light of that, and of the plans for legal aid eligibility generally which798W were announced on 12 November, the Lord Chancellor has decided that it would not be appropriate to pursue the civil proposals for the time being. The third stage of the review was to have covered financial eligibility for advice and assistance and legal aid in matrimonial cases. Against the current background, including the Lord Chancellor's consideration of the report of the Law Commission on the ground for divorce, he has decided that a separate review of financial eligibility in this area would not be appropriate. The team conducting the review is composed of officials of the Lord Chancellor's Department, who work together on a regular basis.