Our targets and service standards for 2008-2009

Our targets enable us to measure our performance to deliver ever higher service levels for applicants and their advisors

For 2007-2008 we set a number of significantly higher targets and service standards.  This followed a review of our approach to performance indicators and targets. This had included consulting our stakeholders for their views, with very positive feedback received.  For 2008-2009, we continue to increase our service levels.

The Board’s performance measurement process consists of both timeliness and accuracy targets for each aid type. For timeliness, we set a service standard - for example, that we will assess a civil legal aid application within 32 days. We also set a target - for example, to assess 96% of applications within the service standard.

There are eight headline performance indicators covering each of the main types of legal assistance. These combine individual targets for timeliness of processing cases with measures of the accuracy of decision making. In addition to these key measures of operational performance, we have other corporate indicators and targets that apply to other aspects of our work.

Individual service standards and targets
We have continued to significantly reduce the timescale for processing many types of legal aid applications, in some cases by up to 40%. We have also increased the percentage of cases to meet the target for five application types.

For civil cases:
Most civil legal aid applications have shorter service standard timescales:

• for initial applications, the service standard is shortened from 35 days to 32 days

• for sanction to employ counsel, expert witnesses or to incur unusual costs, the service standard is shortened by 30%, from 10 days to 7 days
  

Criminal cases:

• major changes to summary criminal legal assistance will be made in 2008.  New service standards and targets will be developed and introduced for the reformed system.  The existing targets will remain until then.
  

Children’s cases:

• Most service standards have shorter timescales:

for consideration of applications to make an appeal in court shortened by 40% from 10 days to 6 days

Advice and assistance cases:
We have introduced a new target for requests in authorised expenditure where templates are used.

Accounts:
Targets for accuracy for all accounts in all types of cases are increased by 1% to 97%.

Legal Aid Online:
We have separate and significantly better service standards for our online services.  Those who use Legal Aid Online have timescales that include shorter than half the time of paper applications. This is a major benefit for using online services.

Read all of our performance targets for 2008-2009 in a pdf document.