§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will estimate the effect on the legal aid budget of the closure of Shrewsbury County Court and the relocation of its work to Telford, Ludlow and Oswestry. [53392]
§ Mr. HoonNo estimate of the impact on legal aid has been made. Any savings or additional costs to the legal aid fund are likely to be marginal since business will simply transfer elsewhere. Whilst financial implications are important considerations, the costs and practical implications of running a court, the public facilities, waiting times, workload levels and overall standard of service that can be made available over the area as a whole also need to be taken into consideration.