Prices (Hansard, 24 October 1975)

§ Mr. Patrick Jenkin
asked the Secretary of State for Energy if he will publish a table showing representative current prices expressed in pence per gallon for gas, oil and heating oils in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the United States of America, and Japan, taking exchange rates as those prevailing on 20th October.

§ Mr. Benn
Typical prices on 1st September 1975, taking exchange rates as on 20th September 1975, were as follows:
a recommendation that legal aid should be extended to tribunals; who made it; on how many occasions such a representation has been made; and by whom.

§ The Attorney-General
The first recommendation was made in 1945 by the Rushcliffe Committee on Legal Aid and Legal Advice. Recommendations have been made on a number of occasions since then and in particular by my noble Friend's Legal Aid Advisory Committee 311W in its Twenty-fourth Annual Report, 1973–74.

§ Mr. Ashley
asked the Attorney-General which organisations and individuals have made representations to him objecting to extending legal aid to tribunals; and for what reasons.

§ The Attorney-General
A number of representations to this effect have been made to my noble Friend and his predecessors over the years. Among the reasons were those that legal representation would lead to proceedings being formalised and lengthened and so cause delay; that there was little need for legal representation; and that tribunals could be relied on to look after claimants' interests.

§ Mr. Ashley
asked the Attorney-General how many people who appear before tribunals are successful in their applications; and how many of them are legally represented.

§ The Attorney-General
I regret that this information is not available.

November January September June

1970 1974 1974 1975

Gross Income limits^* … £2,030 £2,443 £2,884 £3,333

Percentage of Supplementary Benefit level† … 263.1 245.3 252.8 259.6

Percentage of average earnings‡ … 119.4 101.8 103.0 101.0

^* These figures show the maximum gross income limit for legal aid of a man with a wife and two children aged 4 and 8. They are based on the assumption that the applicant's income includes £0.90 per week FAM (£1.50 per week for June 1975) and that his commitments are:

Rent: £156 per annum.

Special commitments: Such amounts as are covered by £104 income disregarded under the Legal Aid (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1960, Schedule 1, Rule 4A.

Employed cases: National Insurance contributions at the appropriate rate.

Income tax: According to liability.

† The level taken is the standard short-term rate payable to a man with a wife and two' children aged 4 and 8 and with a £156 per annum rent commitment.

‡ The figures express as an annual amount the average earnings of men aged 21 and over in full-time employment in Great Britain at the dates in question. They are based on estimates for April, obtained annually by the Department of Employment from the New Earnings Survey, and movements between April and the dates in question in that Department's monthly index of average earnings.

	November	January	September	June
	1970	1974	1974	1975
Gross Income limits^*	…	£2,030	£2,443	£2,884	£3,333
Percentage of Supplementary Benefit level†	…	263.1	245.3	252.8	259.6
Percentage of average earnings‡	…	119.4	101.8	103.0	101.0
^* These figures show the maximum gross income limit for legal aid of a man with a wife and two children aged 4 and 8. They are based on the assumption that the applicant's income includes £0.90 per week FAM (£1.50 per week for June 1975) and that his commitments are:
Rent: £156 per annum.
Special commitments: Such amounts as are covered by £104 income disregarded under the Legal Aid (Assessment of Resources) Regulations 1960, Schedule 1, Rule 4A.
Employed cases: National Insurance contributions at the appropriate rate.
Income tax: According to liability.
† The level taken is the standard short-term rate payable to a man with a wife and two' children aged 4 and 8 and with a £156 per annum rent commitment.
‡ The figures express as an annual amount the average earnings of men aged 21 and over in full-time employment in Great Britain at the dates in question. They are based on estimates for April, obtained annually by the Department of Employment from the New Earnings Survey, and movements between April and the dates in question in that Department's monthly index of average earnings.