---

Legal Aid

The Minister has explained that the proposals made in the summer were not right, and that they have been adjusted—presumably because of representations. Representations are being made today as well. Perhaps the Minister has seen the debate pack usefully compiled by the House of Commons Library, so can she explain how people can move from a fixed fee to an hourly rate? An illustrative example is given in the debate pack of how solicitors went through a lot of unused evidence that the prosecution eventually decided to disclose. Only after an incredible amount of work did they find that the accused person had not done what they were accused of doing. Is permission necessary to move to an hourly rate? How is that to happen?