https://www.slab.org.uk/solicitors/legal-aid-legislation/criminal-legal-aid-regulations/the-advice-and-assistance-and-civil-legal-aid-financial-conditions-and-contributions-scotland-regulations-2011/
https://www.slab.org.uk/solicitors/legal-aid-legislation/criminal-legal-aid-regulations/the-advice-and-assistance-and-civil-legal-aid-financial-conditions-and-contributions-scotland-regulations-2011/
2011 No 217
Made – – – – 16th March 2011
Coming into force – 11th April 2011
The Scottish Ministers make the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by sections 8A, 11(2), 17(2)(a) and 36(2)(b) of the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986[1] and all other powers enabling them to do so.
In accordance with section 37(2) of that Act, a draft of this instrument has been laid before and approved by resolution of the Scottish Parliament.
3.—(1) Paragraphs (2) to (4) of regulation 4 and regulations 6, 7 and 8 apply only in relation to any case where an application for advice and assistance is made on or after 11th April 2011.
(2) Paragraphs (5) to (8) of regulation 4 and regulation 5 apply only in relation to any case where an application for civil legal aid is made on or after 11th April 2011.
4.—(1) The Act is amended in accordance with paragraphs (2) to (8)[2] .
(2) In section 8(a) (which specifies the weekly disposable income limit for advice and assistance), for “£238” substitute “£245”.
(3) In section 8 (which specifies the disposable capital limit for advice and assistance), for “£1,664” substitute “£1,716”.
(4) In section 11(2)(a) (which specifies the weekly disposable income threshold for payment in respect of advice and assistance), for “£102” substitute “£105”.
(5) In section 15(1) (which specifies the annual disposable income limit for civil legal aid), for “£25,450” substitute “£26,239”.
(6) In section 15(2)(a) (which specifies the disposable capital limit for civil legal aid), for “£12,626” substitute “£13,017”.
(7) In section 17(2)(a) (which, amongst other things, specifies the annual disposable income threshold for contributions in respect of civil legal aid), for “£3,415” substitute “£3,521”.
(8) In section 17(2)(b) (which specifies the disposable capital threshold for contributions in respect of civil legal aid), for “£7,617” substitute “£7,853”.
7.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), this regulation applies where a solicitor has approved and proceeded to provide advice and assistance by way of a diagnostic interview and the work undertaken is made up solely of a diagnostic interview.
(2) This regulation does not apply where, pursuant to the solicitor’s application, the Board determines that the subject matter of the diagnostic interview should be treated as if it were a distinct matter.
(3) In this regulation “diagnostic interview” has the meaning given in regulation 2(1) of the Advice and Assistance (Scotland) Regulations 1996[5] and “distinct matter” is to be construed in accordance with regulation 8A(2) of those Regulations.
(4) Where this regulation applies, the maximum amount of fees or outlays which a client is liable to pay under section 11(2) of the Act, where that client’s weekly disposable income falls within a range specified in the first column of the following table, is the corresponding amount specified in the second column:—
Weekly disposable income Maximum contribution
Exceeding £105 but not exceeding £134 a week £7
Exceeding £134 but not exceeding £163 a week £14
Exceeding £163 but not exceeding £193 a week £21
Exceeding £193 but not exceeding £222 a week £28
Exceeding £222 but not exceeding £245 a week £35
[8]Exception from liability for client’s contribution
8A. Section 11(2) of the Act is not to apply in respect of advice and assistance made available to a relevant client (within the meaning of section 8A(2) of the Act) in the circumstances referred to in regulation 8.
Revocation
9.—(1) The Advice and Assistance and Civil Legal Aid (Financial Conditions and Contributions) (Scotland) Regulations 2010[9] are revoked.
(2) Despite paragraph (1), those Regulations continue to apply in relation to advice and assistance, or as the case may be civil legal aid, for which the relative application was made before 11th April 2011.
KENNY MACASKILL
A member of the Scottish Executive
St Andrew’s House,
Edinburgh
16th March 2011
[1]1986 c.47; section 8A was inserted by the Criminal Procedure (Legal Assistance, Detention and Appeals) (Scotland) Act 2010 (asp 15), section 2(3). Section 11(2) was amended, other than by a substitution of figures, by the Social Security Act 1986 (c.50), Schedule 10 paragraph 61, by the Jobseekers Act 1995 (c.18), Schedule 2 paragraph 9, by the Access to Justice Act 1999 (c.22), section 33, by the Tax Credits Act 2002 (c.21), Schedule 13 paragraph 12 and by the Welfare Reform Act2007 (c.5), Schedule 3 paragraph 4. Section 36(2)(b) was amended by the Legal Aid Act 1988 (c.34), Schedule 4 paragraph 6. The functions of the Secretary of State were transferred to the Scottish Ministers by virtue of section 53 of the Scotland Act 1998 (c.46)
[2] The figures in the Act amended by regulation 4 of these Regulations were last amended by S.S.I. 2010/139
[3] The proportion of the excess for the purposes of section 17(2)(a) was previously prescribed as 67.1% in S.S.I. 2010/139
[4] The maximum contribution payable in accordance with section 11(2) was previously prescribed by S.S.I. 2010/139
[5] S.I. 1996/2447; the definition of “diagnostic interview” and regulation 8A(2) were inserted by S.S.I. 2007/60.
[5a] Substituted by S.S.I. 2017 No. 466 (in force from 25 January 2018)
[8] Inserted by S.S.I. 2016 No.136 (in force from 1 April 2016)
[9] S.S.I. 2010/139