HC Deb 17 September 2003 vol 410 c753W
Mr. Lidington

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what proportion of the population living in(a) rural and (b) urban areas has access to services provided by Community Legal Service Partnerships. [129360]

Mr. Lammy

To date, Community Legal Service Partnerships cover over 99 per cent. of the population of England and Wales and so include nearly all rural and urban areas. Although the provision of services within the Community Legal Service (CLS) falls to individually contracted providers, each CLS partnership has responsibility for advising on the co-ordination and planning of local service delivery. Data produced by the CLS partnerships, particularly in relation to priority legal needs, helps to inform the allocation of CLS resources through the contracting system. Along with policy developments, such as the Partnership Initiative Budget (PIB) and the Method of Delivery Pilots, the Legal Services Commission ensures that there is both adequate and improving service provision across all regions in England and Wales.

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