HC Deb 21 July 2004 vol 424 cc374-6W
Mr. Djanogly

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the cost of post-charge legal aid has been in each year since 1997. [185033]

£ million
1997–98 609.1
1998–99 651.0
1999–2000 640.7
2000&3x2013;01 705.3
2001–02 810.7
2002–03 907.8
2003–04 985.4

Mr. Djanogly

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what reforms are planned for post-charge legal aid. [185036]

Mr. Lammy

My Department published the Draft Criminal Defence Service Bill together with a consultation paper on 17 May 2004, copies of which were placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The proposals set out in the Bill fall into two parts. Firstly, the transfer of the reponsibility for grant of criminal legal aid from the courts to the Legal Services Commission, and secondly the re-introduction of the means test.

Mr. Djanogly

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs for what categories of charge the Government plans to abolish post-charge legal aid. [185928]

Mr. Lammy

The Government is not planning to abolish post-charge legal aid for any category of charge.

Mr. Djanogly

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the cost was of providing legal aid in immigration cases in each year since 1997. [185047]

Mr. Lammy

The overall costs for immigration and asylum advice, assistance and representation since 1997 in England and Wales were as follows:

£million
1997–98 35
1998–99 53
1999–2000 61
2000–01 81
2001–02 129
2002–03 176
2003–04 200

The Legal Services Commission cannot separate the cost of immigration and nationality cases from asylum cases, but the vast majority are thought to relate to asylum. The substantial increase in legal aid expenditure has been due, in large part, to the introduction of legal aid for representation at appeal, efforts to reduce the backlog of asylum cases and increases in asylum seeker numbers. Cash figures are expected to remain high in 2004–05 as work continues to clear immigration and asylum backlogs.

We expect that costs will fall in subsequent years as a result of the current lower intake of asylum seekers and measures to control spending.

Mr. Djanogly

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many(a) not for profit organisations and (b) private practice firms are undertaking legal aid work; and what fields of work are covered by the former organisations. [185038]

Mr. Lammy

414 Not for Profit (NfP) agencies and 5,033 solicitors' offices had a contract with the Legal Services Commission at 31 March 2004. Some solicitors' offices hold contracts in both civil and criminal work.

The total number of offices with General Civil Contracts at 31 March 2004 was 4,715. Of this figure, 4,301 were solicitors' firms and 414 were NfP agencies.

2,669 solicitors' offices were operating under Criminal Defence Services (CDS) contracts on 31 March 2004. As at 1 July 2004, on the introduction of the new General Criminal Contract, 2,525 firms had signed the contract.

NfP agencies undertake civil legal aid work in a range of categories within the civil category of law. In 2004 NfPs agencies held contracts in the following categories: family, community care, consumer, debt, education, employment, housing, immigration, mental health, public law and welfare benefits.

Mr. Djanogly

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many firms have stopped doing legal aid work in each year since 1997. [185039]

Mr. Lammy

The Legal Services Commission is able to provide figures for the number of solicitors' offices in England and Wales that have had civil contracts withdrawn each financial year since 2000, as follows:

Number
April 2000 to March 2001 700
April 2001 to March 2002 539
April 2002 to March 2003 408
April 2003 to March 2004 633

The figures above do not distinguish between firms withdrawing from the legal aid scheme and those that have had their contracts terminated, as the Commission's systems do not make this distinction.

Contracting for criminal legal aid began in April 2001 with 2,931 suppliers. During 2001–02, 146 contracts were terminated and 151 were terminated in 2002–03. Between April 2003 and March 2004, 317 suppliers had criminal contracts terminated.

Figures prior to the introduction of contracting in 2000 are not available, as under the previous advice and assistance scheme there was no method of calculating how many firms stopped legal aid work.