Research
Undertaken by or for LAG
This research shows a large increase in the number of patients GPs are seeing who need advice on social welfare law problems.
To coincide with the 65th anniversary of the modern legal aid system on the 30 July 2014, LAG published the results of opinion polling research which shows a lack of public support for the governments cuts to legal aid. The fieldwork for the two polls were carried out by the independent research company Ipsos-Mori. The first poll was conducted in April 2013, the month in which the LASPO Act cuts were brought in, with a follow-up poll conducted in April 2014. Both polls used a sample group of just over 1000 members of the public and were undertaken as part of the regular public opinion polling exercise which Ipsos- MORI runs.
Results show that the number of people who agreed that the legal aid budget should be cut to reduce the government spending deficit fell from 34% in 2013 to 23% in 2014.
An updated version of a paper first published in September last year. It drew on the figures used in the first version of the paper and some new data which LAG obtained on the number of civil legal aid cases.
To coincide with the House of Lords report stage of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, LAG published a major piece of research on the public's views on social welfare law services in March 2012. The weighted tables are also available.
LAG published the findings of a research project on the provision of social welfare law advice in London.
In November 2011, LAG published a report on research it had commissioned from Scope on legal aid in welfare as part of the Justice for All campaign.
To coincide with the second reading of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill (21 November 2011) LAG published revised figures on the impact of the cuts.
LAG commissioned the Women's Institute (WI) to undertake research on the likely impact of the legal aid cuts on domestic violence cases and the final report was published in October 2011. The report was officially launched at a meeting in the House of Commons which was chaired by the former Attorney-General Baroness Scotland and attended by parliamentarians from the main political parties. LAG is grateful to the Baring Foundation for its financial support for this project.
A summary of the impact of legal aid cuts in London. See also analysis from ASA on the impact of the proposed cuts in civil legal aid for social welfare law.
LAG's responses to the legal aid green paper written in February 2011.
LAG decided to cross-check the data presented by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) in its impact assessment: 'Legal aid reform in England and Wales - cumulative legal aid reform proposals'. By using older data, by counting only completed cases as opposed to new cases and by, it appears, not including telephone advice data, the MoJ understated the numbers of the public potentially hit by the proposed cuts in legal aid by over 150,000.
LAG's submission to the Justice Committee inquiry into access to justice.