HL Deb 27 May 1993 vol 546 cc36-7WA
Lord Kennet

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much legal aid money has been spent on fraud cases each year in the last 10 years, and what proportion this is of total legal aid disbursed.

The Lord Chancellor

The information sought is not available in the form requested. Information on expenditure by type of offence in the higher courts is available only for the last five years, and is set out in the table. It is not possible to break down legal aid expenditure in the magistrates' courts by type of offence.

Legal Aid Expenditure on Fraud Cases in the Higher Courts 1988–1993
(All figures have been rounded to the nearest decimal point)
Year Gross legal aid expenditure on fraud cases (£ millions) Expenditure on fraud cases as percentage of gross criminal legal aid expenditure in the higher courts Expenditure on fraud cases as percentage of total gross expenditure on legal aid
1988–89 6.9 5.8 1.1
1989–90 7.3 5.4 1.0
1990–91 12.8 8.1 1.5
1991–92 14.8 7.9 1.3
1992–93 27.2 12.3 12.1
1Based on most recent estimates; final expenditure figures for 1992–93 are not yet available.