§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the total cost of legal advice and assistance in Scotland for the year to 31 March, together with the comparable figures for the last three years and the average cost for each application in each of these years.
§ Mr. YoungerDetails for the year to 31 March 1985 are not yet available. The information for the three preceding years is as follows:
Total cost of legal advice and assistance (excluding administration) Total no. of cases for which accounts were paid Average cost per case £000 £ 1981–82 2,478 58,421 42.42 1982–83 2,706 60,136 45.00 1983–84 3,845 86,140 44.64
§ Mr. Dewarasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of applications for legal advice and assistance in Scotland in the years 31 March 1983 to 31 March 1984, and 31 March 1984 to 31 March 1985, respectively; in what percentage of cases the applicant had no contribution to pay; how many applications were made for authority to incur expenditure in excess of the initial limit; and how many such applications were granted, both in numbers and as a percentage of all legal advice and assistance cases.
§ Mr. YoungerDetails for the year to 31 March 1985 are not yet available. In 1983–84, 131,173 applications were approved. In 39,890 cases an application was made for authority to incur expenditure in excess of the initial limit and 37,352 were granted, 28 per cent. of all applications approved.
In 90 per cent. of the 86,140 cases in which separate accounts for legal advice and assistance were paid in 1983–84 the client had no contribution to pay.