09/04/2013

Consultation Launches On Legal Aid Savings

Proposals aiming to save £220m from the criminal legal aid bill have been revealed as a consultation period begins.

Plans include stopping defendants with a disposable income of more than £37,500 from automatically receiving legal aid and curbing prisoners' right to legal aid.

The proposals also pave the way for lawyers to compete for contracts, however, the Law Society, which represents solicitors in England and Wales, said that could be "catastrophic".

They say it is "implausible that tendering will save the sort of sums of money the Treasury is looking for and there is some doubt whether it will save anything at all".

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) consultation document sets out key areas for savings in the next phase of legal aid reforms.

(H/CD)




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