Welcome change to emergency legal aid
22 Sep 04
Changes to assist parties making legal aid payments, announced by the Deputy Minister for Justice
Changes to assist parties in making legal aid payments were announced by Deputy Minister for Justice Iain Gray at the Society’s Legal Aid Conference in Clydebank last month.
He told delegates that the Scottish Legal Aid Board would extend the payment period available for those making contributions for civil legal aid to 20 months.
Those seeking legal aid in emergency situations would also be granted leave to pay contributions in instalments.
The Minister said that an effective legal aid system was central to the Executive’s core purpose of creating a fairer Scotland.
“We must tackle the financial barriers to people getting legal representation throughout Scotland. By allowing payments to be made over a longer period, we will open up civil legal aid to more people across Scotland.”
He said there had been no contraction in eligibility for legal aid, but that the question of why people are not seeking legal aid in civil cases required to be looked at.
However, he warned there was no secret fund to accommodate a huge increase in fees for civil legal aid, but it was essential for the delivery of access to justice that a sufficient pool of quality solicitors was retained.
Ian Smart, Convener of the Society’s legal aid committee, said the Society warmly welcomed the proposed changes and they were delighted that the Minister had chosen their legal aid conference as the venue for the announcement.
The conference was once again a great success, with numbers easily matching last year’s inaugural event. He expressed the view that in light of this experience, the conference would now become an annual event.
He added: “The conference was further illustration of the improved climate and relationship between the Society and the Board. It is very useful for the Board to hear from practitioners operating at the coalface and for the profession to get a better understanding of issues from SLAB’s perspective.”
Highlights of the event at Clydebank’s Beardmore Conference Centre included an overview of the latest situation with regard to the forthcoming pilot project to deliver legal aid online.
Other speakers included Yvonne McKenna on psychiatric illnesses and psychological conditions and Sheriff Robert Dickson on expert witnesses and how to justify them.
Next year’s legal aid conference will take place on 26th and 27th October. It is hoped that Perth will be the venue.
As the Journal went to print the Justice 1 Committee of the Scottish Parliament published its report on Legal Aid. The Society has welcomed the report which contains a number of recommendations including a review of Civil Justice, an increase in fees, and a review of Legal Aid Regulations.