§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the average cost of an undefended divorce action; what was the comparable cost in each of the last five years; and if he will break down these figures into solicitors' fees, counsel's fees and outlays.
146W
Date when new limit introduced Upper income limit Lower income limit Upper capital limit £ £ £ November 1977 2,400 760 1,600 November 1978 2,600 815 1,700 April 1979 3,600 1,500 2,500 November 1979 4,075 *1,500 2,500 April 1982 4,440 1,850 2,725 * A £1 nominal contribution was payable where disposable income lay between £1,500 and £1,700.
§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the total number of legal aid certificates issued in civil proceedings together with the number and percentage of the total which related to divorce, cases concerning children and separation, respectively, for the year to 31 March 1982 or for the latest convenient years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Allan StewartA total of 24,771 civil legal aid certificates were issued during 1981–82, of which 14,273—58 per cent.—related to divorce. No information is available on the proportion of cases involving children or separation as a ground for divorce.
§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table equivalent to schedule 3 of the 31st annual report on the Scottish legal aid scheme 1980–81 covering the year to 31 March.
§ Mr. Allan StewartAn analysis of the applications for legal aid in civil proceedings in 1981–82 is set out in the following table:
§ Mr. Allan StewartI regret that no record of the average cost of undefended divorce actions is available.
§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the total cost of legal advice and assistance for the year to 31 March together with the comparable figures for the last three years and the average cost for each in the same year.
§ Mr. Allan StewartThe information is as follows:
Total cost Average cost per case £ £ 1978–79 895,238 26 1979–80 1,340,281 31 1980–81 1,687,976 34 1981–82 2,478,461 42