Post by jman on Oct 25, 2011 19:23:45 GMT 1
Article in Guardian this evening on judges concerns over the legal aid cuts
" Legal aid cuts will cause courts logjam, warn top judgesSupreme court judges 'very worried' that £350m economies may affect access to justice
Owen Bowcott, legal affairs correspondent guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 25 October 2011 17.49 BST Article history
Supreme court judges fear legal aid cuts will restrict access to justice
Legal aid cuts aimed at saving £350m a year will result in courts being deluged by people without lawyers and will restrict access to justice, some of the country's most senior judges have told the Guardian.
Concerns voiced by supreme court justices about the government's legal aid, sentencing and punishment of offenders bill come as the legislation is due to return to the Commons next week.
Interviewed at the supreme court, the senior judges acknowledged the legislation was a political decision but cautioned that it would nonetheless cause difficulties and add to costs in the courts.
"The court of appeal now is being deluged by litigants in person which is a product of the absence of legal aid and that creates a logjam in itself," said Lord Hope of Craighead, a Scottish justice who is deputy president of the supreme court.
"It doesn't affect us [in the supreme court] but lower down the system it has a major effect. I well understand the huge concern about public expense but people who take these decisions must understand that narrowing legal aid has a cost implication on the system and its efficiency and quality."
The government's proposals to prune spending will mean legal aid is no longer available across a wide range of areas, including cases involving medical negligence, housing, welfare, divorce, child custody, employment and debt.
The justice secretary, Kenneth Clarke, has said that he wants to get rid of the "compensation culture" that flourished under the Labour government.
Lord Dyson, another supreme court judge, said he was "very worried" about access to justice for those who wanted to take judicial reviews or challenge tribunals. "I don't see how contingency fee arrangements can work for those sorts of cases," he said................."
Rest at link below :
www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/oct/25/legal-aid-cuts-courts-logjam
" Legal aid cuts will cause courts logjam, warn top judgesSupreme court judges 'very worried' that £350m economies may affect access to justice
Owen Bowcott, legal affairs correspondent guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 25 October 2011 17.49 BST Article history
Supreme court judges fear legal aid cuts will restrict access to justice
Legal aid cuts aimed at saving £350m a year will result in courts being deluged by people without lawyers and will restrict access to justice, some of the country's most senior judges have told the Guardian.
Concerns voiced by supreme court justices about the government's legal aid, sentencing and punishment of offenders bill come as the legislation is due to return to the Commons next week.
Interviewed at the supreme court, the senior judges acknowledged the legislation was a political decision but cautioned that it would nonetheless cause difficulties and add to costs in the courts.
"The court of appeal now is being deluged by litigants in person which is a product of the absence of legal aid and that creates a logjam in itself," said Lord Hope of Craighead, a Scottish justice who is deputy president of the supreme court.
"It doesn't affect us [in the supreme court] but lower down the system it has a major effect. I well understand the huge concern about public expense but people who take these decisions must understand that narrowing legal aid has a cost implication on the system and its efficiency and quality."
The government's proposals to prune spending will mean legal aid is no longer available across a wide range of areas, including cases involving medical negligence, housing, welfare, divorce, child custody, employment and debt.
The justice secretary, Kenneth Clarke, has said that he wants to get rid of the "compensation culture" that flourished under the Labour government.
Lord Dyson, another supreme court judge, said he was "very worried" about access to justice for those who wanted to take judicial reviews or challenge tribunals. "I don't see how contingency fee arrangements can work for those sorts of cases," he said................."
Rest at link below :
www.guardian.co.uk/law/2011/oct/25/legal-aid-cuts-courts-logjam