§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department which members of his Department had discussions with GJW on(a) how many occasions and (b) what dates concerning the wish by Cape plc to amend the Access to Justice Bill [Lords] to ban foreign employees of British companies obtaining legal aid; how many officials were involved; what undertakings were given; what plans he has to introduce amendments to the Bill that will meet the wishes of Cape plc; and when he informed other Ministers of Cape plc's representations. [81151]
§ Mr. HoonNo members of my Department have had discussions with GJW concerning the wish of Cape plc to amend the Access to Justice Bill[Lords] to ban foreign employees of British companies from obtaining legal aid.
The Government have no plans to exclude from legal aid people pursuing actions in England and Wales solely because they live outside this country. The Access to Justice Bill will, however, enable the Government to target available public money on priority needs. Because most sound claims for personal injury can be funded privately, using conditional fee agreements, generally legal aid will not, in future, be available to fund them.