§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the number of legal aid applications received from members of the public in South Yorkshire, for each of the last five years, indicating the total sums involved. [40968]
§ Mr. StreeterIt is not possible to identify separately applications for legal aid received from residents of South Yorkshire; the Legal Aid Board area office in Leeds covers the county of South Yorkshire along with 10 other counties or regions.
The total number of applications received for civil legal aid by the Leeds area office over the last five years were as follows:
- 1991–92: 42,954
- 1992–93: 53,084
- 1993–94: 48,586
- 1994–95: 53,278
- 1995–96: 54,436
The net cost of civil legal aid certificates issued by the Leeds area office, in respect of cases which closed during the last four years, were as follows:
- 1992–93: £19,076,615
- 1993–94: £26,465,169
- 1994–95: £32,581,004
- 1995–96: £36,343,203
Expenditure figures for 1991–92 are not available.
Applications for criminal legal aid are dealt with by the courts. Equivalent figures for criminal legal aid are therefore not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.