Improved Access To Justice Welcomed by Scottish Legal Aid Board

Thursday 23 May 2002

The Scottish Legal Aid Board today welcomed the package of measures, announced by Justice Minister Jim Wallace, to lay the foundations for a community legal service in Scotland.

The action plan announced today, which will now be taken forward by the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Legal Aid Board, will include:

• the creation of three pilot partnerships, one in a rural area, to look at local advice needs and service provision and seek to tailor supply to demand
• a national survey of current provision and supply of legal advice and information
• a review of the advice and assistance scheme operated by the Scottish Legal Aid Board
• a review of service delivery mechanisms using IT and outreach services.
  

The Board's Chairman, Jean Couper said

"These measures will help to make legal advice and information more easily accessible to people in all areas of Scotland. The Board was part of the Working Group which reported last November making recommendations on the future development of provision of legal advice and information across the country. We welcome these measures and look forward to our role in implementing them."

Ends

For further information please contact: Scottish Legal Aid Board: Charlotte Townsend or Janet Nixon, 0131 226 7061 or e-mail townsendch@slab.org.uk or nixonja@slab.org.uk (Scottish Legal Aid Board, 44 Drumsheugh Gardens, Edinburgh EH3 7SW

Notes for editors

1. Legal aid

Legal aid allows people who would not otherwise be able to afford it to have the help of a solicitor, and in some circumstances and advocate, for their legal problems. To receive legal aid, applicants must consult a solicitor who will help them complete an application.

2. Advice and assistance

Advice and assistance is a scheme whereby a solicitor can be paid through legal aid to provide advice and assistance to a client on any matter of Scots law. S/he can do this without reference to the Board, up to a certain financial limit, normally £80, subject to the client meeting a financial eligibility test. The solicitor may, if necessary, apply to the Board for authority to exceed that limit.

3. The Scottish Legal Aid Board

The Scottish Legal Aid Board is responsible for managing legal aid in Scotland. It is a non-departmental public body set up under the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986. Twelve Board members, including the Chairman, appointed by Scottish Ministers, currently oversee the work.

The Board's mission is to develop and deliver appropriate access to quality legal assistance for those eligible, in a cost-effective manner. The Board's main tasks are to consider and then grant or refuse applications for legal aid; to scrutinise accounts and pay solicitors and advocates for the legal aid work they do and to advise Scottish Ministers on legal aid matters.
The Scottish Legal Aid Board is a non-departmental public body which assesses legal aid applications and scrutinises and pays accounts submitted by solicitors and advocates. It also provides advice to the Scottish Ministers on legal aid matters.

4. The Community Legal Services Working Group

The Working Group was set up in October 2000 and included representatives from a wide range of organisations. These were: the Scottish Legal Aid Board, Shelter Scotland, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Scottish Association of Law Centres, Federation of Independent Advice Centres, HomePoint, Scottish Homes, Scottish Employment Rights Network, Citizens Advice Scotland, Money Advice Scotland, the Scottish Consumer Council, the statutory equality bodies and the Law Society of Scotland.

The Working Group's report, Review of Legal Advice and Information Provision in Scotland, was published on 26 November 2001.  It can be viewed on the Scottish Executive website www.scotland.gov.uk