§ Sir Nicholas LyellTo ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what estimate he has made of the administrative costs of the Community Legal Service in each of its first three years of operation; [65662]
(2) what estimate he has made of the administrative costs of the Criminal Defence Service in each of its first three years of operation. [65663]
§ Mr. HoonIt is intended that the Legal Services Commission, which initially will administer both the Community Legal Service and the Criminal Defence Service, will be created on 1 January 2000. The administrative costs of the Commission from 1 January to the end of that financial year will be met from the Legal Aid Board's administration budget for the year 1999–2000, which is estimated at £62.4 million. In each of the next two years of its operation, it is estimated that the administrative costs of the Legal Services Commission will be £60.4 million. The Commission's administrative budget will thereafter be reviewed in the light of its workload under the reformed scheme.