§ Mr. Fraserasked the Attorney-General what information he has on the delays in the issue of legal aid certificates which are taking place in Area 1, London; and what steps he is taking to eliminate those delays.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe average time taken in Area 1 from application to issue of a certificate—in non-contributory cases—or the issue of an offer—in contributory cases—was 118.6 days for the financial year 1986–87 as compared with 139.9 days for 1985–86. I understand that the legal aid administration of the Law Society has recently implemented a number of changes designed further to reduce the delays, as a result of a review by independent consultants of working methods in Area 1.