§ 42. Mr. Ben ChapmanTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on progress with the establishment of the Community Legal Service. [118168]
§ Mr. LockThe Lord Chancellor officially launched the Community Legal Service (CLS) on 3 April, and it marked
the unveiling of the CLS Quality Mark, which is the public symbol of quality assured legal service providers, and has already been awarded to over 6,000 providers;the publication of the CLS Directory of legal services, which provides details of 15,000 service providers;the launch of the new CLS website "Just Ask", which carries the CLS Directory of legal services, and has links to several hundred advice sites;471Wthe start of the CLS telephone helpline for those seeking details of local providers;the announcement that there are now 70 CLS Partnerships covering a third of the population of England and Wales;the publication of the "Guidance for CLS Partnerships" in draft form for consultationthe publication of the consultation paper "Performance Indicators for CLS partnerships"; andthe announcement that a further £46 million will be spent on legal help, including £23 million of new funding. The extra funds will mean that the Legal Services Commission will expand contracting to enable providers to help more clients.