Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Lord Clarke of Nottingham and Michael Connarty

Tuesday 8th November 2011 Commons Chamber

[Michael Connarty (Linlithgow and East Falkirk) (Lab)]

T4. Could I ask whether the Secretary of State will identify the amount of savings he will make in his planned reductions for legal aid in social welfare law and identify the amount of knock-on cuts to the Scottish budget through the Barnett formula? Could he confirm that, if there are cuts, the Scottish Parliament does not have to follow the savage cuts in welfare law legal aid?

[Mr Kenneth Clarke]

We debated all this last week. We are still spending £50 million on legal aid for welfare law, even as we have revised and cut it back, and cut out areas where, frankly, legal assistance is not necessary, appropriate or justified. Our proposals affect England and Wales only, and the provision of legal aid in Scotland is not a matter for me.