Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General, called for a national Public Legal Education Program at a fringe meeting last night at the Conservative party conference.   Grieve was speaking at a meeting on the theme "Your Legal Health", which was jointly organised by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Public Legal Education,* the Society of Conservative Lawyers and Conservative Health. Grieve told the meeting that he thought the health system was a good place to try out "public legal education as an intervention." He also said that Public Legal Education is essential to ensure that people use the legal system appropriately.   The meeting was well attended by conference delegates and was held in the Birmingham offices of DAC Beachcroft. In addition to Grieve, Alistair Burt MP, Lord Low, and Janice Nichols, Birmingham Citizens Advice CEO spoke at the event. Tom Tudgendhat MP, as Chair of the APPG, hosted the meeting.   Former Health Minister, Burt, explained how good information and advice is essential for helping people to navigate the health system especially in accessing care packages, mental health services or in making complaints. He also said he supported social prescribing models in the NHS.   In her contribution Janice Nichols illustrated the importance of intervening early with social welfare law advice by discussing client case studies in which health problems such as stress related illnesses followed from eviction proceedings. Lord Low argued that "the effects of welfare advice on patient health are significant and include: lower stress and anxiety, better sleeping patterns, more effective use of medication, smoking cessation, and improved diet and physical activity.” He believes that the direct commissioning of welfare advice within health services is most effective “as it targets the most vulnerable within settings which they trust and where their specific health needs are understood."   Lord Low said that he had taken the findings of the Low Commission report on social welfare advice and health outcomes "to a number of senior people and leaders in the NHS,” and “broadly they get it.” The difficulty, he believes, is a commissioning culture which tends to leave social prescribing, such as referral to welfare advice services, to local innovation rather than providing a lead from the centre.   * LAG provides administrative and research support for the group.