All Party Parliamentary Group on legal aid launched in the House of Commons

To celebrate legal aid’s 60th birthday and to recognise its importance, the Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) and Young Legal Aid Lawyers (YLAL) have brought together a group of interested MPs to form an All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on legal aid.

The stated aim of the APPG is to "promote parliamentary and public understanding of the importance of the role of publicly funded legal services as a pillar of the welfare state and in reducing inequalities in society. To scrutinize and influence any proposals for the reform of legal aid provision to ensure that access to justice for all members of society is preserved and improved."

The APPG was launched with a reception in the House of Commons Committee Room 10 on 2 June 2009. The room was packed with practitioners, students and MPs who are committed to access to justice. Speakers included Karen Buck MP, Henry Bellingham MP, Mike Mansfield QC, Louise Christian and the Legal Aid Minister Lord Bach. Speeches showed the strength and depth of feeling that the Government and the Legal Services Commission should listen to practitioners voicing the genuine concerns of their clients.

LAPG and YLAL have campaigned tirelessly for access to justice and recognise that MPs are often on the front line when it comes to unmet legal need. MPs are in a unique position through their weekly surgeries to meet constituents who feel that for one reason or another they have not had access to justice. It is hoped that the APPG will act as a forum for discussion of social exclusion issues surrounding legal aid and help to promote the work that many legal aid practices carry out as the fourth emergency service.