HC Deb 24 January 1994 vol 236 cc3-4W
Mrs. Jane Kennedy

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is his latest estimate for 1993–94 of the percentage of legal aid applications processed by(a) the Merseyside area office and (b) the Liverpool legal aid board within (i) two weeks and (ii) six weeks.

Mr. John M. Taylor

There is only one legal aid area office in Liverpool, which serves the Merseyside area. The targets set by the Legal Aid Board nationally for processing legal aid applications in 1993–94 are 70 per cent. within two weeks and 90 per cent. within six weeks. The performance of the Liverpool area office in the year to date—from 1 April 1993 to November 1993, the most recent month for which figures are available—has been 70.3 per cent. of applications within two weeks and 93.5 per cent. within six weeks. It is estimated that for the year as a whole Liverpool area office will more than meet the national performance targets.

Mrs. Jane Kennedy

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects the Liverpool legal aid board will achieve BS5750 accreditation; what the cost is of gaining accreditation; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for seeking BS5750 accreditation.

Mr. John M. Taylor

The Legal Aid Board as a whole, including the Liverpool area office, received accreditation

Amount sent Purchase price Postage cost Cost in staff time
Lord Chancellor 201 Own purchase £53 £72
Parliamentary Secretary 50 £13 £6 £44

under BS5750 from Lloyd's register quality assurance in November 1993. The cost attributable to accrediting the Liverpool area office was approximately £20,000.

The board's purpose in adopting BS5750 was to become more efficient throughout the organisation by adopting, so far as possible, common, documented, working systems; to demonstrate a commitment to quality; and to provide assurance that the improved systems of control it had introduced and would be introducing in the future would be applied throughout the organisation on a consistent and correct basis.

Mrs. Jane Kennedy

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of legal aid applications between 1992–93 were processed by the Liverpool legal aid board within(a) two weeks and (b) six weeks.

Mr. John M. Taylor

The targets set by the Legal Aid Board for processing legal aid applications in 1992–93 were 60 per cent. within two weeks and 85 per cent. within six weeks. The performance of the Liverpool area office was 73 per cent. of applications within two weeks and 92 per cent. within six weeks, both above the national average.