Written question asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord McNally (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 9 November 2011.

Legal Aid

Question: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the effect of proposed changes to legal aid on the short and long-term career prospects of barristers called to the Bar in the past five years, and the likely effect on the age, ethnic and gender mix of the Bar.

Answer: The impact assessment published alongside the Government's response to consultation lays out the best estimates of the costs and benefits of the legal aid reforms. The primary responsibility of MoJ in administering the legal aid system must be to provide fair and effective legal aid to those clients most in need. The specific levels of representation within given practice areas at the Bar are primarily the responsibility of the Bar, as is the need to ensure equality of opportunity to all areas of practice. Although MoJ is mindful of the need to encourage those with a protected characteristic to participate fully in public life and the need to advance equality of opportunity generally, MoJ does not believe that legal aid is the most appropriate policy instrument by which to achieve diversity within the profession.

Secondary information