§ Lord James Douglas-Hamiltonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland when he intends to exercise his powers under section 3 of the Divorce Jurisdiction, Court Fees and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1983 to regulate the fees of the legal profession in relation to legal aid.
§ Mr. YoungerI intend to introduce regulations on the fees payable to the legal profession in relation to legal aid work in Scotland to come into operation on 1 May 1984. The regulations will in broad terms give effect to the existing structures and levels of fees currently in operation. Since, however, I believe that the fee structures should be rationalised and simplified, it is my intention to modify these as and when suitable alternatives can be worked out. The legal profession will be fully consulted on the proposed changes.