Mr. Alan WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his most recent estimate of the number of people receiving each of the benefits administered by his Department. [92375]
§ Mr. Rooker[pursuant to the reply, 22 July 1999, c. 577-80]: The numbers of recipients of each of the benefits administered by the Department are shown in the table below.
§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on what date the reforms in the Access to Justice Act 1999 relating to(a) conditional fee agreements and (b) legal aid will come into effect; and if he will make a statement. [94399]
§ Mr. LockOn conditional fee agreements, my Department issued a consultation paper, "Conditional Fees: Sharing the Risks of Litigation", on 23 September. This fulfilled our commitment made during the passage of the Access to Justice Act, to consult before implementing the provisions in the Act on recovery of insurance premiums and success fees. Consultation closes on 26 November. Subject to the results, we plan to implement these provisions in the first quarter of next year.
565WOn the legal aid reforms, implementation is planned to take place in several stages. On 4 January 2000, contracts for family, immigration, mental health and advice and assistance work will take effect under the Legal Aid Act 1988. These contracts will be continued when the relevant sections of Part I of the Access to Justice Act come into force in April 2000. The new Legal Services Commission and Community Legal Service will also be established in April; in the same month the Funding Code will take effect (subject to further public comment and parliamentary approval); contracting for individual high-cost cases will begin; and there will be new regulations governing financial eligibility and conditions. In October 2000, the Criminal Defence Service will replace criminal legal aid.