§ Mr. Nigel JonesTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment has 1165W been made of the impact of Amendment 3 of the Community Legal Services (Financial) Regulations 2001; and what assessment has been made of the impact on people with disposable incomes of between £263 and £695 per month. [100465]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonAmendment 3 of the Community Legal Services (Financial) Regulations 2001 revised the financial eligibility criteria for Community Legal Service (CLS) funding. The primary intentions behind the eligibility reforms were to simplify the procedure for gaining Legal Representation (while broadly preserving the numbers qualifying), and to bring the eligibility level for Legal Help closer to that for Legal Representation.
Data provided by the Legal Services Research Centre from its applicant survey showed that if we are to target the most needy, the gross income cap should be maintained and certain state benefits should be disregarded from the gross income test.
The impact on people with a disposable income between £263 and £695 per month who are required to make a contribution to their funding has been limited. There has been no significant increase in the mean contribution required.