HC Deb 12 March 1997 vol 292 c217W
Mr. Austin Mitchell

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the proposals to establish fixed-price contract systems for the provision of legal services, will take effect. [18909]

Mr. Streeter

Pilots for family mediation and civil and criminal advice and assistance will start later this year. But to provide the majority of legally aided services almost exclusively through fixed-price contracts will require legislation. In addition the Government are committed to piloting the proposals and proceeding with caution to ensure that the contracting system works. We would expect fixed-price contracts to cover the majority of legally aided services in three to four years time.

Mr. Mitchell

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what advice members of his Department received from representatives of the Spangenberg group on a contract system based on fixed-price contracts during their visit to north America. [18910]

Mr. Streeter

Officials from my Department have visited the Spangenberg Group, a private consultancy, among other sources of advice on contracting legally aided services. The Spangenberg Group has wide knowledge and experience of ways of maintaining quality while controlling cost in the delivery of criminal defence services. It has passed a great deal of information to my Department on the subject.