Oral Answers to Questions

Julie Elliott Excerpts

Tuesday 17th May 2011 Commons Chamber

[Liz Kendall (Leicester West) (Lab)]

12. When he expects to bring forward legislative proposals for the reform of legal aid.

[Julie Elliott (Sunderland Central) (Lab)]

13. When he expects to bring forward legislative proposals for the reform of legal aid.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Jonathan Djanogly)]

We intend to bring forward legislation when parliamentary time allows.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Djanogly]

Legal aid per se involves poor people, so if we are going to reduce costs it will impact on poor people. It is true that individuals with protected equality characteristics are over-represented within the current client base of civil and family legal aid when compared with the population as a whole, although the extent of that varies by category of law.

[Julie Elliott]

Will the Minister be taking the advice of the Select Committee on Justice, which recommended that the Government should assess the

“merits of the cost-saving proposals put forward by the Law Society”,

namely the alternative savings of £384 million—£34 million more than the Government’s proposals would save—while protecting all civil and family legal representation?

[Mr Djanogly]

Various alternatives have been suggested by the institution that the hon. Lady mentions and by many others during the consultation. The question is whether they would work and whether they would deliver the required savings within the spending review period. The main proposal of the Law Society, which she mentioned, is an alcohol levy—a penny on your pint to pay for lawyers.