§ Mr. John MarshallTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if a defendant has disposed of the proceeds of the sale of his home, how this affects his eligibility for legal aid.
Mr. John M. TaylorThe legal aid regulations provide that if it appears that an applicant for legal aid has deprived himself of or converted any resources in order to reduce the amount of his disposable capital, whether to reduce his liability to pay a contribution towards legal aid or otherwise, these resources shall be treated as part of his resources. Consequently, the applicant may be found to be ineligible for legal aid on financial grounds or any contribution to be paid will he based on the total resources he is deemed to have.