§ The Lord Bishop of Lincolnasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether their commitment to develop a Community Legal Service includes the provision of greater resources to the area of social welfare law; and, if so, what the scale of those increases will be. [HL1297]
§ The Lord ChancellorIn 1996–97, the Government spent £60 million on advice and assistance in the areas normally referred to as "social welfare law"—housing, debt, welfare benefits, immigration and employment. This represented 72 per cent. of total non-Family civil expenditure under the Legal Aid Green Form Scheme. Despite this expenditure, and the efforts of many volunteers and lawyers workingpro bono, we recognise that need in this area is not adequately met. This recognition underlies our commitment to develop a Community Legal Service. The details of our proposals to fulfil this commitment, including refocusing legal aid expenditure where appropriate, will be the subject of public consultation at the beginning of next year.