§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will publish the rules on capital, income and contributions governing eligibility for(a) criminal legal aid, (b) civil legal aid and (c) green form cases for each of the previous six financial years. [24514]
126W
Mr. John M. TaylorThe rules governing qualification for civil legal aid, criminal legal aid and green form advice and assistance are set out in full in the legal aid handbook, produced every year by the Legal Aid Board.
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of the population was eligible for green form assistance in(a) 1973, (b) 1974, (c) 1984 and (d) each of the previous six financial years. [24515]
Mr. John M. TaylorThe Department does not generally produce estimates of financial eligibility for green form advice and assistance and figures are not available for 1973, 1974 and 1984. However, in 1993 the Department estimated that around 21 per cent. of households were eligible. The green form disposable income eligibility limit was increased by nearly 15 per cent. to £70 in April 1994 and by a further 1.8 per cent. in April this year. Eligibility is correspondingly now at a higher level, probably somewhere between 25 per cent. and 30 per cent.
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of gross domestic product was expended on(a) civil legal aid and (b) criminal legal aid in each of the last six years; and what were the equivalent figures in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, America, France, Germany and Spain. [24516]
Mr. John M. TaylorThe percentage of gross domestic product expended on legal aid in England and Wales in each of the last six years was as follows:
Percentage criminal legal aid Percentage civil legal aid 1988–89 0.051 0.054 1989–90 0.055 0.059 1990–91 0.060 0.068 1991–92 0.069 0.088 1992–93 0.070 0.114 1993–94 0.068 0.130 It is not possible to provide comparative figures for the other countries in question since the information is not readily available.
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of the population was eligible for criminal legal aid in(a) 1965, (b) 1970, (c) 1980 and (d) each of the previous six financial years. [24519]
Mr. John M. TaylorThere is no upper financial limit for criminal legal aid, so the question of eligible population does not arise. In determining applications, the courts consider whether it is in the interests of justice for legal aid to be granted and whether the defendant needs help with the costs.
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what percentage of the population was eligible for civil legal aid in(a) 1965, (b) 1969, (c) 1979 and (d) each of the previous six financial years. [24520]
Mr. John M. TaylorThe Department has no estimates of eligibility for 1965 and 1969. The 127W Department's estimates of the proportion of households eligible for civil legal aid in the other years requested are as follows:
- 1979–80: 77 per cent.
- 1989–90: 58 per cent.
- 1990–91: 57 per cent.
- 1991–92: 51 per cent. (53 per cent. for personal injury cases)
- 1992–93: 53 per cent. (57 per cent. for personal injury cases)
- 1993–94: 48 per cent. (51 per cent. for personal injury cases)
- 1994–95: 48 per cent. (51 per cent. for personal injury cases)
Estimates are based on data published in the Family Expenditure Survey.
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what has been the change in total expenditure on legal aid in each of the previous six financial years; and how these changes differ from the changes in the rate of inflation. [24521]
Mr. John M. TaylorIncreases in respect of total net expenditure on legal aid in comparison with increases in
£ million Circuit Case type 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 South Easter Trials 57.698 63.183 75.129 88.749 106.848 111.546 Appeals 0.686 0.739 1.381 1.141 1.181 1.367 Sentencing 0.481 0.580 0.604 0.780 0.776 0.615 Midland and Oxon Trials 14.843 17.723 20.643 22.520 27.695 31.719 Appeals 0.367 0.631 0.477 0.495 0.528 0.704 Sentencing 0.285 0.285 0.359 0.460 0.392 0.277 Northern Trials 13.700 16.412 18.286 23.225 28.359 28.664 Appeals 0.360 0.436 0.474 0.640 0.666 0.713 Sentencing 0.172 0.192 0.257 0.343 0.310 0.242 North Eastern Trials 12.472 12.955 14.469 18.151 19.890 22.697 Appeals 0.292 0.319 0.334 0.420 0.458 0.532 Sentencing 0.189 0.222 0.238 0.288 0.294 0.247 Wales and Chester Trials 6.071 6.743 7.444 9.866 10.916 14.097 Appeals 0.127 0.121 0.144 0.208 0.194 0.201 Sentencing 0.073 0.073 0.094 0.125 0.127 0.097 Western Trials 9.444 12.072 13.960 16.124 18.459 18.710 Appeals 0.262 0.264 0.363 0.422 0.453 0.438 Sentencing 0.134 0.140 0.190 0.224 0.212 0.163 Details of gross criminal legal aid expenditure in the magistrates courts, by region, are given in table general 6 of the Legal Aid Board's annual reports for the years 1990–91 to 1993–94, and in appendix 4D of the annual report of the Law Society for 1988–89 and appendix 4D of the Legal Aid Board's annual report for 1989–90, copies of which are available in the Library. A breakdown of expenditure in each year by type of case is not available.
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary,Lord Chancellor's Department what was the level of civil legal aid expenditure(a) by region (b) by type of case for each of the last six financial years. [24523]
Mr. John M. TaylorDetails of gross expenditure on civil legal aid, by region, and giving a limited breakdown of type of case, are given in table general 6 of the Legal Aid Board's annual reports for the years 1990–91 to 1993–94, and in appendix 4D of the annual report of the Law Society for 1988–89 and appendix 4D of the Legal Aid Board's annual report for 1989–90, copies of which are available in the Library.
128Wthe rate of inflation, in each of the last six years, were as follows:
Percentage change in expenditure Percentage change in inflation (gdp) 1988–89 9.4 6.7 1989–90 19.1 7.0 1990–91 20.7 8.1 1991–92 32.8 6.3 1992–93 20.7 3.8 1993–94 10.7 3.3
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the level of criminal legal aid expenditure(a) by region and (b) by type of case for each of the last six financial years. [24522]
Mr. John M. TaylorThe table shows gross Crown court legal aid expenditure on a regional and case type basis for each of the last six financial years for which records are available.