§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Attorney-General how many law centres there are in the United Kingdom; and where they are located.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThere is one law centre in Belfast and 27 agencies generally recognised as law centres in England and Wales. These are located as follows:
Name of Centre and Location
- Adamsdown Community Trust—Cardiff.
- Balham Neighbourhood Law Centre—Wandsworth, London.
- Battersea Law Centre—Wandsworth, London.
- Benwell Community Law Project—Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
- Brent Community Law Centre—Brent, London.
- Cambridge House and Talbot Legal Advice Centre—Southwark, London.
- Camden Community Law Centre—Camden, London.
- Coventry Legal and Income Rights Service—Coventry.
- Garratt Lane Law Centre—Wandsworth, London.
- Hackney Advice Bureau and Law Centre—Hackney, London.
- Handsworth Law Centre—Birmingham.
- Hillingdon Community Law Centre—Hillingdon, London.
- Islington Community Law Centre—Islington, London.
- Lambeth Community Law Centre—Lambeth, London.
- Manchester Law Centre—Manchester.
- Newham Rights Centre—Newham, London.
- North Kensington Law Centre—Kensington and Chelsea, London.
- North Lewisham Law Centre—Lewisham, London.
- Paddington Advice and Law Centre—
350 - Westminster, London.
- Saltley Action Centre—Birmingham.
- South Wales Anti-Poverty Action Centre—Merthyr Tydfil.
- Southwark Law Project—Southwark, London.
- Small Heath Law Centre—Birmingham.
- Tottenham Neighbourhood Law Centre—Tottenham, London.
- Tower Hamlets Law Centre—Tower Hamlets, London.
- Vauxhall Community Law Centre—Liverpool.
- West Hampstead Community Law Centre—Camden, London.
§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Attorney-General how many law centres have been established in each year since the first law centre was created.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThe number of law centres established in England and Wales is as follows:
1970 1 1971 — 1972 — 1973 7 1974 3 1975 4 1976 7 1977 3 1978 2
§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Attorney-General how many legally qualified persons are employed in law centres at the present time.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralAbout 80 qualified salaried lawyers are currently employed in the law centres in England and Wales.
§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Attorney-General how much money has been spent by Her Majesty's Government on law centres since the inception of the scheme.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThe total sums paid out of central Government funds in grants to law centres in England and Wales are as follows:
1974–75 £69,530 1975–76 £149,530 1976–77 £380,410 1977–78 (estimated) £527,350 Information relating to the years prior to 1974–75 is not readily available. Neither is it possible to give an accurate assesment of the amount expended in the first quarter of the present financial year.
§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Attorney-General how much money has been spent by local authorities on law centres.
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§ The Solicitor-GeneralThis information is not available centrally and could be obtained only with a disproportionate expenditure of time and cost.
§ Mr. Watkinsonasked the Attorney-General if figures are kept of the number of visits made to law centres by members of the public; and, if so, how many such visits there have been.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralEach law centre records the number of inquiries it receives, but this information is not collected centrally and is, therefore, not readily available. However, figures obtained by my noble Friend's Department from 23 law centres show that these centres dealt with over 137,000 inquiries in 1977.