Briefing - Legal Aid Reforms
By: Elizabeth O'Hara Published: January 2011
On 15 November 2010, the Government published its proposals for the reform of legal aid in England and Wales. Although the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) says its approach is to protect the most vulnerable in our society, Shelter believes that these reforms will significantly restrict access to justice for those who are already disadvantaged by poverty and social exclusion.
- Briefing - Legal Aid Reforms (PDF 149.4 KB)
Summary
The proposals have been developed with the aim of providing a substantial contribution to the MOJ’s 23 per cent budget reduction, aiming to deliver savings of approximately £350m by 2014-15.
Shelter believes that these proposals, if implemented, are likely to drive up the need for civil legal aid rather than reduce it and therefore increase costs to the taxpayer further down the line.
