§ Mr. KidneyTo ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he 133W has made of the proportion of the legal aid budget in 1998£99 spent on individual cases of exceptionally high cost. [81030]
§ Mr. HoonAssessing the proportion of the legal aid budget spent during any particular financial year on individual cases of exceptionally high costs would not provide any useful analysis, since payments are spread over the lifetime of a case, which may extend to a number of years. Additionally, a civil case may not result in any cost to the Fund if, at the end of the case, all costs and damages are recovered.