Written question asked by Lord Beecham (Labour), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord McNally (Liberal Democrat) on Monday, 13 December 2010.

Legal Aid

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the increase in case load for (a) advice and (b) representation to be picked up by voluntary or charitable agencies in each of the categories from which it is intended to withdraw legal aid or advice; and what long-term funding, and upon what basis, will be available to such agencies to support their work in this area.

Answer: The initial impact assessment shows the volume of cases for which Legal Help and Legal Representation would no longer be available if the legal aid proposals were to be implemented. The initial impact assessment seeks views on the implications of this. It can be found at the Ministry of Justice website at: http://www.justice.gov.uk/consultations/legal-aid-reform-151110.htm. The Government have set up a £100 million Transition Fund which is open to organisations that are most vulnerable to short term reductions in public spending. Detailed eligibility criteria are available from the Cabinet Office website.

Secondary information