Written question asked by Simon Wright (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 13 September 2011, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 15 September 2011. It was answered by Jonathan Djanogly (Conservative) on Monday, 10 October 2011 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Community Legal Advice: Telephone Services

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the impact assessment for the establishment of the Community Legal Advice Helpline as the sole gateway to civil legal aid services considered the cost implications to (a) service users and (b) welfare services providers of using 084 and 087 prefix telephone numbers.

Answer: The Community Legal Advice Telephone Helpline uses a 0845 prefix number. The impact assessment identifies both monetised and non-monetised impacts on individuals, groups and businesses in the UK, including both legal aid clients and legal services providers. Paragraph 14 of the impact assessment considered the issue of the cost of calling the helpline.In addition, paragraph 22 of Annex D of the Government Response to the consultation on the Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales sets out the measures in place to minimise the cost of contacting the service. These include various call back facilities available such as call operators and specialist advisers offering to call people back, a 'text for a call back' service and an online call back request service to request a call at a time and in a language of their choice.The impact assessment for the Advice Telephone Helpline can be found at:"http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/consultations/annex-d-telephone-advice.pdf"

Secondary information