A key topic of the meeting was the government’s use of statistics in the debate over legal aid. Shailesh Vara quoted government figures claiming that the average gross yearly pay received by legal aid barristers was £84,000; however, the minister acknowledged that this figure had been reached only by excluding those earning £10,000 a year or less. Lord Carlile QC, a Liberal Democrat peer, and Nigel Lithman QC, who is chairperson of the Criminal Bar Association, criticised the government for selectively using ‘alarmist’ statistics to suggest that the legal aid budget was unsustainably high. Moreover, Nicholas Lavender QC, chairperson of the Bar Council, noted the strength of feeling that had been displayed at recent protests over cuts in fees: he feared that successive cuts would drive away talented individuals from the Criminal Bar (see above). Shailesh Vara expressed a desire to meet with Nicholas Lavender and to consider representations from the Bar. The minister admitted that falling rates of prosecutions meant that there were in fact fewer criminal cases being dealt with in the legal aid system.

A number of other topics were also raised. Steve Hynes, LAG’s director, noted that the Low Commission report on the future of advice and legal support had just been published. The report contained several suggestions: for example, it explained that under the current system, those facing repossession of their homes could not receive legal aid to get advice on housing benefit, which was highly impractical and a false economy. The minister acknowledged that he had not yet had time to read the report, but he intended to do so and would be happy to meet with members of the Low Commission.