Oral Answers to Questions

Julie Elliott Excerpts

Tuesday 8th November 2011 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Julie Elliott (Sunderland Central) (Lab)]

1. What assessment his Department has made of the potential effects on other Government Departments of his planned reductions to legal aid for social welfare law.

[Graeme Morrice (Livingston) (Lab)]

4. What assessment his Department has made of the potential effects on other Government Departments of his planned reductions to legal aid for social welfare law.

[The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice (Mr Kenneth Clarke)]

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. Ultimately, costs to other Departments will be driven by behavioural responses to the changes, and these are very difficult to predict with any real accuracy.

[Julie Elliott]

I thank the Secretary of State for that answer. Is it his Government’s view that it is acceptable for a whole swathe of the population to have no access to justice in the area of social welfare law?