Post by Patrick Torsney on Jan 25, 2011 8:04:33 GMT 1
A video of the key public parts of the launch event and lobby of Members of Parliament on the 12th January 2011 in the Jubilee Room at the House of Commons
You may need to refresh your browser to view
The event was to promote 'Justice for All' as a campaigning organisation, and to begin the fight for properly funded legal advice services in the face of proposed Government cuts
The backdrop to the launch and lobby was the earlier announcement by the Con-Dem Coalition Government that whole categories of civil law would be taken out of scope of public funding, including welfare benefits, employment and education law
The Con-Dem Government proposes no such cuts to criminal law, despite this being the area with the most significant increases of expenditure over recent years
Should the proposals come into force, the poorest sections of society will be hit hardest, with approximately 500,000 acts of legal assistance no longer being funded. The voluntary sector, especially law centres, Citizens Advice Bureaux, Shelter and independent AdviceUK agencies would bear the brunt of the cuts
Many of them will have to close. The remainder will have to face significant staff reductions in order to stay open and provide any service to their respective communities at all
No-one knows what the broader consequences to society generally and communities in particular will be when, on current figures, half a million people each year will no longer be able to get the professional help they need to resolve the legal problems they face
You may need to refresh your browser to view
The event was to promote 'Justice for All' as a campaigning organisation, and to begin the fight for properly funded legal advice services in the face of proposed Government cuts
The backdrop to the launch and lobby was the earlier announcement by the Con-Dem Coalition Government that whole categories of civil law would be taken out of scope of public funding, including welfare benefits, employment and education law
The Con-Dem Government proposes no such cuts to criminal law, despite this being the area with the most significant increases of expenditure over recent years
Should the proposals come into force, the poorest sections of society will be hit hardest, with approximately 500,000 acts of legal assistance no longer being funded. The voluntary sector, especially law centres, Citizens Advice Bureaux, Shelter and independent AdviceUK agencies would bear the brunt of the cuts
Many of them will have to close. The remainder will have to face significant staff reductions in order to stay open and provide any service to their respective communities at all
No-one knows what the broader consequences to society generally and communities in particular will be when, on current figures, half a million people each year will no longer be able to get the professional help they need to resolve the legal problems they face