§ Lord Cocks of Hartcliffeasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are satisfied with the criteria which allowed Dr. Jawad Hashim to become eligible for legal aid; and whether they consider the fees charged by Dr. Hashim's legal representatives to be reasonable.
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Mackay of ClashfernEvery application for legal aid is treated in exactly the same way and assessed according to the same tests of means and merits of the case. However, I am considering what changes might need to be made in the light of this and other recently publicised cases and expect shortly to issue a consultation paper seeking50WA views on some specific proposals. As with all high-cost cases, expenditure on this case has been monitored by the Legal Aid Board. The appropriateness of the fees claimed will be considered when the lawyers' bill is examined at the end of the cases.