§ Mrs. LaitTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the implications of the recommendations of the Efficiency Commission on the cost of legal aid.
Mr. John M. TaylorThe Efficiency Commission has, since it was set up in 1986, made a number of recommendations designed to improve the operation of the criminal legal aid system. It is not possible to produce a precise figure for the implications which those recommendations which have been accepted have had on the cost of legal aid. It is, however, likely that the resulting savings have been small relative to total expenditure on criminal legal aid.
§ Mrs. LaitTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the current time scale for the work of the Efficiency Commission; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John M. TaylorThere is currently no timetable assigned to the work of the Standing Commission on Efficiency.
§ Mrs. LaitTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which proposals of the Efficiency Commission have been implemented since its establishment.
Mr. John M. TaylorThe Standing Commission on Efficiency is made up of senior representatives from the Bar, the Law Society, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Lord Chancellor's Department. It has provided a forum for the formulation and discussion of ways of enhancing communication between the legal profession and the courts and thereby improving the disposal of criminal business. The commission has considered a large number of papers on a wide range of topics with the common aim of speeding up or streamlining both pre-trial processes and in-court procedures. In 1990 each of the members of the Efficiency Commission published a "Guide to Good Practice", which drew together the discussions of the group and provided reference documents in which each agency set out how it would discharge its responsibility to provide an efficient and effective service. The best practices set out there inform the practical operation of a wide range of services carried out by practitioners and courts. The commission has also been instrumental in devising a form for the provision of information by defence solicitors to assist courts when making listing decisions. A research project into the causes of delay in criminal proceedings was commissioned earlier this year. The findings of that research were submitted to the Royal Commission on 633W criminal justice, and consideration and implementation of any of its recommendations will take place in the context of the discussion of the wide-reaching proposals of the Royal Commission.