Authors:LAG
Created:2014-03-01
Last updated:2023-09-18
.
.
.
Administrator
 
MPs’ inquiry into impact of civil legal aid changes under the LASPO Act
This column documents evidence of the effect of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012. Readers are invited to send in relevant information for publication. E-mail: vwilliams@lag.org.uk using the message title ‘Legal aid cuts impact statement’.
The Justice Committee has called for interested organisations and individuals to submit written evidence to the inquiry. A list of questions of particular interest to the committee is given below; however, submissions may address any aspect of the impact of the changes which are of concern or interest. The committee has limited the scope of the inquiry to the change to civil legal aid made under Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012 Part 1.
•What have been the overall effects of the LASPO Act changes on access to justice?
•What are the identifiable trends in overall numbers of legally-aided civil law cases being brought since April 2013 in comparison with previous periods, and what are the reasons for those trends?
•Have the LASPO Act changes led to the predicted reductions in the legal aid budget?
•What effects have the LASPO Act changes had on (a) legal practitioners and (b) not-for-profit providers of legal advice and assistance?
•What effects have the LASPO Act changes had on the number of cases involving litigants in person, and therefore on the operation of the courts?
•What effects have the LASPO Act changes had on the take-up of mediation services and other alternative dispute resolution services, and what are the reasons for those effects?
•What is your view on the quality and usefulness of the available information and advice from all sources to potential litigants on civil legal aid? Do you have any comments on the operation of the mandatory telephone gateway service for people accessing advice on certain matters?
•To what extent are victims of domestic violence able to satisfy the eligibility and evidential requirements for a successful legal aid application?
•Is the exceptional cases funding operating effectively?
•■ For details of how to submit written evidence, visit: www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/justice-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/laspo/committee-submit-evidence/. The deadline for submissions is 30 April 2014.