§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what research he has conducted into allegations that the Government receive a greater sum from the Department of Social Security's benefit clawback scheme for legally aided litigants than they actually pay out in civil legal aid to those people; and if he will publish that research.
Mr. John M. TaylorThe compensation recovery unit of the Department of Social Security does not record whether a person who recovers compensation is legally aided. Accordingly, it cannot say how much of the unit's recovery is attributable to legally-aided cases. We are considering how this information might be collected.
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what studies his Department has done into the crisis concerning the cash limiting of the civil legal aid budget in New South Wales in late 1992 and early 1993.
Mr. John M. TaylorI am aware of the cash limiting of the legal aid budget in New South Wales, and the consequences that this had.
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary Lord Chancellor's Department what estimate he has of the underspend on the legal aid budget for(a) civil legal aid and (b) criminal legal aid for the current financial year.
Mr. John M. TaylorThe latest available projections suggest that the total net cost of legal aid will be about £1.310 billion in 1994–95, £95 million below provision. Of that total, net expenditure on civil legal aid will be around £604 million, £41 million below provision, and expenditure on criminal legal aid will be about £476 million, £15 million below provision. The remaining 5W expenditure relates to advice and assistance and the duty solicitor schemes.