HL Deb 16 July 1999 vol 604 c71WA
Lord Lester of Herne Hill

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 28 June (WA 6), upon how many occasions during the past three years the Lord Chancellor has exercised the power to make a direction under section 4(4)(a) of the Legal Aid Act 1988 to give the Legal Aid Board the power to grant representation under section 4(2)(b) of that Act for proceedings that are ordinarily outside the scope of legal aid; and what were the exceptional circumstances giving rise to the exercise of that power. [HL3439]

Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg)

In the past three years neither I nor my predecessor has made any directions relating to individual proceedings.