Legal Aid (Hansard, 7 March 1994)

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many solicitors' firms have(a) applied for and (b) been granted legal aid franchises.

Mr. John M. Taylor
There have been 1,425 applications for franchises. No franchises will be granted until 1 August 1994.

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has for amending the rules governing legal aid franchises; and if he will publish the proposed new rules.

Table 1—Number of offices receiving payment for legal aid¹

1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93

Criminal Matters

Magistrates Courts 8,350 8,247 7,745 7,417 7,011

Court Duty Solicitor 3,601 3,569 3,429 3,383 3,302

Police Station Duty Solicitor 5,389 5,392 5,327 5,368 5,385

Civil Matters

High Courts

Matrimonial 3,229 2,725 2,597 2,584 2,539

Other 5,427 5,459 5,527 5,870 6,629

County Courts

Matrimonial 8,779 8,524 8,422 8,396 8,584

Other 8,253 8,143 8,159 8,262 8,647

Magistrates Courts 6,817 6,760 6,500 6,407 5,866

Green Form 9,796 9,785 9,390 9,341 9,502

Total 11,558 11,455 11,125 11,060 11,317

¹ These figures exclude the number of offices receiving payment in respect of criminal legal aid in the higher courts, where the information is not collected and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many employees of the Manchester legal aid board have been(a) made redundant or (b) asked to take voluntary redundancy this year and in each of the previous three years.
72W

Mr. John M. Taylor
Before franchising comes into effect, changes will be needed to the legal aid regulations. These will be laid before Parliament in the usual way. The terms of the contract between the Legal Aid Board and those who are granted franchises are still the subject of discussion between the Legal Aid Board and the Law Society.

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to restrict legal aid provision to those solicitors' firms which have successfully applied for legal aid franchises.

Mr. John M. Taylor
None.

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many solicitors' firms have ceased to take on legally aided clients for(a) criminal matters and (b) civil matters in each of the last five years; and what representations have been made to him as to the reasons for the cessation.

Mr. John M. Taylor
Figures on the number of solicitors' firms which have ceased taking on legally aided clients are not available. The table shows the number of offices receiving payment from the Legal Aid Board for each of the last five years, broken down into criminal matters and civil matters. The number of offices does not equate to the number of solicitors' firms.
The Lord Chancellor has received representations from the Law Society and from a number of solicitors arguing that low fee rates for legal aid work are causing solicitors to cease undertaking this work. However, the number of offices which do receive payment for legal aid work has risen as a proportion of all solicitors offices from 68 per cent. in 1988–89 to 82 per cent. in 1992–93.

Mr. John M. Taylor
(a) None and (b) none. There are, however, 11 redundant posts at the Manchester area office and volunteers are being sought for redundancy up to that number.

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many of the total number of legal aid boards employees have been(a) told that they will 73W be made redundant or (b) asked to take voluntary redundancy this year and in each of the previous three years; if he will list the names of the relevant boards and the numbers involved in categories (a) and (b) at each; and what is the total number affected nationally.

Mr. John M. Taylor
(a) Nil. (b) The board is looking for 139 volunteers across all area offices as follows: London 40, Brighton three., Reading three, Bristol 10, Cardiff four, Birmingham six, Manchester 11, Newcastle 15, Leeds eight, Nottingham three, Cambridge nine, Chester nine and Liverpool 18. There have been no voluntary redundancies in the previous three years in area offices.

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the job titles and the civil service grades of all the. Legal Aid Board employees who have either been told that they will be made redundant or have been asked to take voluntary redundancy at(a) Manchester legal aid board and (b) other legal aid boards.

Mr. John M. Taylor
No Legal Aid Board employees have been told that they are redundant. Volunteers have been asked for in a range of jobs from grade 7 to administrative assistant.
(a) In the Manchester area office the grades from which volunteers have been requested are grade 7, SEO, higher administrative officer and secretary. (b) In the rest of the country the grades from which volunteers have been requested are from grade 7 to administrative assistant, but the grades affected vary from office to office.

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many representations he has received and from whom, concerning redundancies among the staff of legal aid boards.

Mr. John M. Taylor
None.

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what costing procedures his Department has carried out as regards a possible increase in costs to the legal aid fund as the result of a reduction in the number of legal aid appeals certifying committees, due to more applications being allowed by legal aid certifying officers; and what plans he has for publishing the results of those costing procedures.

Mr. John M. Taylor
No costing has been carried out as no reduction in the number of area committees dealing with appeals against refusals of legal aid is anticipated. The frequency with which area committees meet fluctuates from time to time in accordance with the numbers of appeals made.

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to close down any of local legal aid offices; and in relation to how many of these offices he has such plans.

Mr. John M. Taylor
The Legal Aid Board has no such plans.

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department whether instructions have been issued to(a) Manchester legal aid board or (b) other legal aid boards concerning a reduction in the numbers of legal aid appeals certifying committees; to how many legal 74W boards such instructions have been issued; what representations he has received in response; and how many such committees he is seeking to dispense with nationally.

Mr. John M. Taylor
No instructions have been issued to the Manchester area office of the Legal Aid Board, or to any of the board's other area offices, to reduce the number of area committees dealing with appeals against refusals of legal aid.

§ Mr. Boateng
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department whether he or any of his officials have suggested the closure of(a) some or (b) all local legal aid offices as part of legal aid policy.

Mr. John M. Taylor
(a) No and (b) no.

Table 1—Number of offices receiving payment for legal aid¹
	1988–89	1989–90	1990–91	1991–92	1992–93
Criminal Matters
Magistrates Courts	8,350	8,247	7,745	7,417	7,011
Court Duty Solicitor	3,601	3,569	3,429	3,383	3,302
Police Station Duty Solicitor	5,389	5,392	5,327	5,368	5,385
Civil Matters
High Courts
Matrimonial	3,229	2,725	2,597	2,584	2,539
Other	5,427	5,459	5,527	5,870	6,629
County Courts
Matrimonial	8,779	8,524	8,422	8,396	8,584
Other	8,253	8,143	8,159	8,262	8,647
Magistrates Courts	6,817	6,760	6,500	6,407	5,866
Green Form	9,796	9,785	9,390	9,341	9,502
Total	11,558	11,455	11,125	11,060	11,317
¹ These figures exclude the number of offices receiving payment in respect of criminal legal aid in the higher courts, where the information is not collected and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.