Two more bar associations join legal aid action
Edinburgh and Hamilton vote to boycott sex offender cases from August
Two more bar associations have voted to stop taking on sex offender cases unless the Scottish Executive improves the legal aid payment system.
Hamilton and Edinburgh Bar Associations voted unanimously to join the boycott supported last week by the Glasgow Bar Association. Graeme Runcie from Edinburgh Bar Association said the move could potentially have a huge impact on the criminal justice system.
Lawyers are objecting to delays to the introduction of a "block" payment system, the first pay adjustment to legal aid in solemn criminal cases for 14 years, which they say was promised two years ago but which has been postponed until April 2007 at the earliest. They have rejected the Executive's offer of an interim increase of 8% for advocacy work and 5% for other work.
Almost 1,000 sex offence cases heard in Scotland last year required legal aid representation. Without a defence solicitor, sex offender trials cannot go ahead because the accused is not allowed to cross-examine witnesses in court.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Executive said it was looking into contingency plans should the strike go ahead and urged legal associations to continue dialogue with the Executive.
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