§ Mr. FraserTo ask the Attorney-General what steps have been taken in the last year to obtain accurate estimates of the percentage of the adult population eligible for legal aid.
§ The Attorney-GeneralStudies have been carried out on the basis of family expenditure survey data in relation to households of different compositions.
§ Mr. FraserTo ask the Attorney-General what estimate he has made of the number of persons who will(a) cease to be eligible and (b) pay increased contributions in respect of legal advice and assistance, civil legal and criminal legal aid consequent upon proposals for assessment of cohabitees' resources when assessing legal aid eligibility.
§ The Solicitor-GeneralThe proposals in respect of the assessment of cohabitants' resources for legal advice and assistance, civil legal aid and criminal legal aid reflect the rules applicable to social security benefit applicants and implement a recommendation made by the legal aid advisory committee in its 34th annual report (1983–84). The Government announced their acceptance of this recommendation in 1986. It has not been possible to estimate the numbers who might benefit and the numbers who might lose as a result of this change.