MoJ budget axe must not fall on legal aid, warns Law Society

24 May 2010

Plans announced today by the Chancellor of the Exchequer to cut the Ministry of Justice budget by £325 million must not include front line legal aid services at a time when the public needs them the most, warns the Law Society.

The warning comes after a recent YouGov poll revealed public support for legal aid. The research, conducted on behalf of legal research company Jures, showed that over two-thirds (68%) of consumers backed publicly funded legal advice through the legal aid system for those unable to afford a lawyer.

Law Society President Robert Heslett says:

"In a time of austerity, it is no doubt tempting to see legal aid as an area where cuts could safely be made without arousing voter concern, but this is precisely the time when legal aid services are most needed, to protect ordinary people from unfair decisions about issues on their employment, housing and benefit entitlement; more than that, to ensure that children receive the best representation in care and family cases.

"There is scope for discussion about how services are provided but it is difficult to see how efficiencies in buying these services can in reality mean more than reducing the rates paid to already hard pressed legal aid solicitors.

"The Society hopes in the interests of access to justice that the necessary cuts come from the Legal Service Commission's own administrative costs and the fees of a very few extremely well paid barristers rather than funds required for legal aid. We are urging the Justice Secretary to make savings in areas that will not deny the public basic legal rights."

The Society points out that the legal aid budget is already under significant strain because of increased demand caused by the recession, an increase in child care applications following the Baby P tragedy, and a small number of very high cost criminal cases.

Robert Heslett adds: "Cuts to public spending are inevitable, but the core needs of the public, such as access to justice, health and education must not suffer from the cuts."