§ Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people(a) applied for and (b) received legal aid in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years; and how many people had an application rejected. [168195]
§ Mr. LammyI have been asked to reply.
The Legal Services Commission records the number of applications for assistance rather than the number of clients assisted. The following table sets out details of legal aid application for the period 1998–99 to 2002–03.
£ million Criminal Civil Sub total Administration Total 1998–99 15.93 14.16 30.09 2.58 32.67 1999–2000 23.25 11.40 34.65 2.69 37.34 2000–01 21.88 15.82 37.70 2.87 40.57 2001–02 24.57 16.96 41.53 3.26 44.79 2002–03 26.77 18.21 44.98 3.58 48.56