here - United Kingdom Parliament
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1289W<br />
Written Answers<br />
6 JUNE 2013<br />
Written Answers<br />
1290W<br />
accession agreement will not affect the situation of<br />
member states in relation to the convention. It does not<br />
change the competences of the EU or the powers of its<br />
institutions.<br />
Legal Aid Scheme<br />
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for<br />
Justice what assessment he has made of the potential<br />
effect of the proposals outlined in his Department’s<br />
consultation on transforming legal aid on the quality<br />
of legal advice provided under legal aid. [156963]<br />
Jeremy Wright: The Government has consulted on a<br />
number of proposals to reform legal aid via the<br />
‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible<br />
and efficient system’ consultation which closed on 4<br />
June 2013. This included proposed model of competitive<br />
tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been<br />
clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal<br />
aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers’ money spent<br />
on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the<br />
best deal for the taxpayer.<br />
We are clear we will continue to uphold everyone’s<br />
right to a fair trial—but that does not mean we should<br />
not look again at how the system which provides this is<br />
operated. Quality assured duty solicitors and lawyers<br />
will still be available—just as they are now. The Legal<br />
Aid Agency would ensure, as part of the tendering<br />
process, that all providers are capable of delivering the<br />
full range of criminal legal aid services under contract<br />
across their procurement areas. Our proposals envisage<br />
a quality review which is more extensive than that in the<br />
current system.<br />
The issue of quality is addressed further in the Criminal<br />
litigation price competition impact assessment which<br />
can be downloaded from the consultation web page:<br />
https://consult.justice.gov.uk/digital-communications/<br />
transforming-legal-aid<br />
In that impact assessment we comment on the potential<br />
impact of quality by the removal of client choice.<br />
We will consider the views we have received on the<br />
proposed model of competition, including the impact<br />
of those proposals on clients, provider and the wider<br />
justice system.<br />
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for<br />
Justice if he will make an assessment of the compatibility<br />
of the removal of client choice for criminal legal aid in<br />
the criminal justice system with the <strong>United</strong> Nations’<br />
Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid.<br />
[157274]<br />
Jeremy Wright: The Government has recently consulted<br />
on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the<br />
“Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible<br />
and efficient system” consultation which closed on 4<br />
June 2013. This includes a proposed model of competitive<br />
tendering for criminal legal aid services. As confirmed<br />
in that consultation paper, against a background of<br />
continuing pressure on public finances, we need to<br />
continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including<br />
the £1 billion of taxpayers’ money spent on criminal<br />
legal aid a year.<br />
We are clear we will continue to uphold everyone’s<br />
right to a fair trial. Quality assured lawyers will still be<br />
available—just as they are now. The Legal Aid Agency<br />
would ensure as part of the tendering process that all<br />
providers are capable of delivering the full range of<br />
criminal legal aid services under contract across their<br />
procurement areas.<br />
The Government considers that the proposals are<br />
compatible with the <strong>United</strong> Nations Principles and<br />
Guidelines on Access to Legal Aid in Criminal Justice<br />
Systems.<br />
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for<br />
Justice whether he plans to cap the number of cases<br />
receiving access to legal aid in each of the 42 procurement<br />
areas set out in the Transforming Legal Aid review.<br />
[157325]<br />
Jeremy Wright: The Government has consulted on a<br />
number of proposals to reform legal aid via the<br />
‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible<br />
and efficient system’ consultation which closed on 4<br />
June 2013. This included proposed model of competitive<br />
tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been<br />
clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal<br />
aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers’ money spent<br />
on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the<br />
best deal for the taxpayer.<br />
The proposals, if implemented, would not see an<br />
introduction of a cap for Criminal Legal Aid and, as<br />
such, Criminal Legal Aid will continue to be available<br />
for all eligible persons should they require it in all 42<br />
procurement areas.<br />
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for<br />
Justice what steps he plans to take to mitigate any risks<br />
to the quality of service received by legal aid recipients<br />
through the proposed removal of client choice. [157450]<br />
Jeremy Wright: The Government has consulted on a<br />
number of proposals to reform legal aid via the<br />
‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible<br />
and efficient system’ consultation which closed on 4<br />
June 2013. This included proposed model of competitive<br />
tendering for criminal legal aid services. We have been<br />
clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal<br />
aid, including the £1 billion of taxpayers’ money spent<br />
on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the<br />
best deal for the taxpayer.<br />
Quality assured duty solicitors and lawyers will still<br />
be available—just as they are now. The Legal Aid<br />
Agency would ensure as part of the tendering process<br />
that all providers are capable of delivering the full range<br />
of criminal legal aid services under contract across their<br />
procurement areas. Our proposals envisage a quality<br />
review which is more extensive than that in the current<br />
system.<br />
Offenders: Rehabilitation<br />
Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for<br />
Justice on what dates the provisions in the Legal Aid,<br />
Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012<br />
relating to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974<br />
were initially scheduled to enter into force; whether this<br />
date has subsequently been changed; and for what<br />
reason any such change has been made. [157027]