TAPERING IN FINANCIAL ELIGIBILITY
The Strategic Review of Legal Aid in 2004 identified concerns that access to justice is only available to those either poor enough to qualify for legal aid or affluent enough to fund their own actions. In response to those concerns the then Scottish Executive asked us to explore the possibility of extending eligibility up the income scale. We undertook modelling work in connection with a system of tapered eligibility and made proposals to the Scottish Government.
At the legal aid conference on 7 November 2008 the Cabinet Secretary for Justice announced that the upper eligibility limit for civil legal aid would be lifted to £25,000 from April 2009, alongside the introduction of a tapered system of contributions.
For more information about the new limits and contribution bands, which were introduced with effect from 7 April 2009, click here.
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