Legal Aid Bill To Be Slashed, Says Ford

Barristers involved in legal aid work in NI have been told they must be more realistic about their fees.

The cost is around 20% more expensive per head of population than in England and Wales.

The new Justice Minister David Ford has said he will go ahead with plans to cut millions of pounds from the legal aid.

That's in the face of opposition as some barristers have withdrawn from court cases recently, arguing that fees of more than £150 an hour are not enough.

The Court Service, which foots the bill, says the cost in Northern Ireland is too high.

It said the cost has doubled during the past decade, and this year is expected to be £94m.

Legal aid is paid on behalf of those who cannot afford lawyers themselves.

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster this morning, Mr Ford said that whatever the UK government formed after the election, the money that goes to legal aid is still drawn from the overall budget figure that also pays for health care, for example.

He said this should be more "realistic" as the current amount being spent is too high.

Mr Ford has insisted that savings have to be made to avoid cutting funding for other public services like hospitals and schools.

"Barristers needed to be more realistic about the financial circumstances facing the Assembly," he said, noting that most people would regard the new fees as a reasonably generous rate of pay.

(BMcC/GK)