Six new Public Defence Solicitors Offices to open
20 Oct 06
Executive announces big expansion in PDSO network, but Society not convinced
The number of Public Defence Solicitors Offices (PDSOs) in Scotland will treble, deputy justice minister Hugh Henry announced today.
Six new offices will be set up, in addition to the three existing offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. The new locations are Dundee, Aberdeen, Falkirk, Ayr, Dumfries and Kirkwall.
PDSOs provide criminal legal aid with solicitors directly employed by the Scottish Legal Aid Board.
Mr Henry said: "We want to modernise legal aid by developing more choice for people needing legal advice and assistance.
"We believe that publicly funded criminal legal assistance in Scotland is best delivered by a mix of salaried legal professionals and those in private practice. The Public Defence Solicitors Offices play a vital role in widening the range of choices available to accused persons.
"Already the PDSOs in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness are increasing access to legal aid in those areas. However, I recognise that there are other parts of Scotland where there may be limited competition for publicly funded criminal legal advice.
"We have therefore decided to open new PDSOs in some areas to provide an additional element of competition. The PDSO service can also help deal with gaps in the provision of criminal legal services. The opening of a PDSO office in Kirkwall is an example of this."
The number of solicitors employed by the PDSOs will increase from nine to around 20.
However, the Law Society of Scotland is not convinced by the move.
Oliver Adair, convener of the Law Society’s legal aid solicitors committee, said: “The Law Society of Scotland is not yet convinced that a further roll out of the PDSO is justified. The Scottish Executive needs to carry out a full evaluation of the existing pilot schemes.
“The Society believes that the current priority should be investment in the legal aid system to ensure the long term viability of private solicitors providing an independent, value for money service.
“The Society will continue to work to ensure that valuable resources are not diverted to the detriment of solicitors who work in private practice.”