Radical reform planned for legal aid system

Radical reform of the legal aid system has today been set in motion as the Lord Chancellor opened consultations on implementing substantial changes to the way Government buys legal advice on behalf of the public.

Lord Falconer began the consultation programme after the publication of the final report of the independent Review of Legal Aid Procurement chaired by Lord Carter of Coles.

The independent review was commissioned in July 2005 by the Lord Chancellor, and since then, Lord Carter has been involved in detailed negotiations with the legal profession to reach a sustainable way to improve legal aid.

Speaking earlier, Lord Falconer said: "We are at a pivotal point for legal aid: we have the best-ever opportunity to get fair justice at a fair price so we can ensure sustainable legal aid for the future.

"We said we needed a fairer deal for legal aid which would be fair to the vulnerable, fair to taxpayers, fair to defendants and fair to practitioners.

"That's precisely what Lord Carter's review provides - the radical reform we need to give everyone involved in legal aid a fairer deal."

Announcing the full consultation Lord Falconer welcomed the recommendations because of the "inclusive way" Lord Carter has carried out the review.

Amongst the proposals are: Lawyers will, as far as possible, be paid on completion of cases rather than by the hour; A market based system for legal aid procurement with best value tendering for contracts based on quality, capacity and price; Changes to make the legal professions responsible for proper quality control over their members.

Legal Aid and Social Exclusion Minister Vera Baird said: "Lord Carter has provided us with a blueprint for the future. We will now consult widely with all stakeholders on how we make these changes work in practice. We are rightly proud of in the quality and breadth of our legal aid system. And it is vital that the law is available equally to both the vulnerable and the powerful, to those with little money as well as the rich. However, all of us who believe in this principle understand that this strong system can only continue within a framework affordable to the taxpayer."

She continued: "It is essential that we encourage quality and diversity in the legal market and that legal aid clients have choice and confidence in their advice and representation.

"The report recognises that the legal advice market differs from place to place, and that it must meet the needs of the whole community. I am pleased that there are measures here that will allow smaller rural and black and minority ethnic-led firms to compete on the basis of quality and price as well as capacity."

(EF/SP)