HC Deb 13 January 1986 vol 89 c446W
Mr. Best

asked the Attorney-General whether there are any plans to review the operation of the legal aid scheme.

The Solicitor-General

The Government are concerned that legal aid should be provided in the most cost effective way. It has therefore been decided to carry out a scrutiny with the following terms of referenceGiven the necessary judicial independence of the courts and existing reviews of court procedure, to consider the determinants of expenditure on the legal aid scheme by looking at its operation and administration in practice, and to make recommendations.

The scrutiny will be undertaken by officials from the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Treasury and the efficiency unit. It is intended that it will begin at the end of January 1986 and will be completed in about four and a half months.