§ Lord Lester of Herne Hillasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether their decision that legal aid should not usually be available to people claiming damages or financial compensation is intended to include those claiming damages or compensation for breaches by public authorities of their statutory duties (including the duties imposed by the Human Rights Bill) or misfeasance in public office or other abuses of public powers.
§ The Lord ChancellorI will be consulting widely before I make any final decisions about changes to the scope of civil legal aid. It already appears to me that legal aid should probably continue to be available to bring proceedings for judicial review, housing matters or other social welfare issues, regardless of whether they include a claim for money or damages. It should also, probably, remain for the purposes of defending any 85WA proceedings currently within the scope of legal aid. More generally, however, it is my intention to move most money, or damages, claims out of the scope of civil legal aid.