§ Mr. Mike O'BrienTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the estimate of his Department of the numbers of adults who(a) are at present liable to pay a contribution for civil legal aid and (b) are not at present liable to pay a contribution towards the cost of civil legal aid but would become so under the Lord Chancellor's proposals.
Mr. John M. TaylorInformation on eligibility for legal aid is available only on the basis of percentages of households. We estimate that about 23 per cent. of households are currently eligible for civil legal aid with a contribution. The proportion of households which are not at present liable to pay a contribution but will become so under the changes recently announced is estimated at 14 per cent.