§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 20 March,Official Report, column 30, if he will list the applications for legal aid made over the past 12 months by Darius Guppy. [15665]
Mr. John M. TaylorOver the past 12 months, Mr. Guppy has made six applications for civil legal aid and one for ABWOR—assistance by way of representation. No central record of applications for criminal legal aid is kept, but I am aware of one such application from Mr. Guppy, to which I referred in my answer of 20 March.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 20 March,Official Report, column 30, if he will seek to amend section 38 of the Legal Aid Act 1988 to remove the confidentiality provisions on the disclosure of information on an applicant's financial means where the applicant is serving a prison sentence for theft. [15666]
Mr. John M. TaylorNo. The "confidentiality" clause in section 38 of the Legal Aid Act 1988 is not unique to legal aid and is common practice in organisations which retain personal details of an individual's circumstances.