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Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill

The right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. I note from my own experience that such people are highly qualified for the work that they do. If two hours are spent with a solicitor who is well-versed in procedure, a lot of work can be done and people's reputations can be saved. It is vital that we do everything we can to retain that provision. I am not doing any special pleading for lawyers. I appreciate that there should be paring back in some areas of legal aid, but this is a fundamental matter of access to justice and it is important that the Government listen. It is worth noting Liberty's point that attempting to introduce means-testing when an individual is in police custody is likely to be ““unworkable”” because it"““requires documentary verification of financial resources””," which an individual in custody is clearly unlikely to have on his or her person. That would again result in inevitable delay and the wasting of resources.