§ Mr. FraserTo ask the Attorney-General what was the expenditure in the last financial year of legal aid and advice for criminal cases in the courts and on duty solicitor schemes for police stations and at courts; and what was the comparable expenditure immediately before the operation of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe access to legal advice provisions as laid out in section 58 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 were implemented on 1 January 1986. The financial year 1984–85 has therefore been used for the purpose of comparison with 1989–90. The table shows gross expenditure during the two years:
1989–90 1984–85 £ million £ million Criminal Legal Aid: Magistrates' Courts 151.478 68.056 Higher Courts 134.956 68.039 Duty Solicitor Schemes: Magistrates' Courts 6.522 0.537 Police Stations 30.969 — 323.925 136.632