HL Deb 10 March 2003 vol 645 c149WA
Lord Laird

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether there are circumstances in which a resident of the Irish Republic could receive United Kingdom legal aid; and, if so, what they are. [HL1869]

Baroness Scotland of Asthal

There are no nationality requirements for using the courts in the United Kingdom. The availability of public funding or legal aid follows the same basic principle. An applicant for legal aid or public funding in any of the three jurisdictions within the United Kingdom (England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland) may be made by any individual regardless of nationality or residence. However, the applicant must pass the relevant merits and means criteria for the civil or criminal schemes within each jurisdiction, and the legal proceedings for which legal aid or public funding is sought must originate within the relevant United Kingdom jurisdiction.