APPG meeting 7 Nov

There will be a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Legal Aid on Wednesday 7 November at 4pm. The meeting will discuss the new regulations under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012.

The LASPO Act 2012 made radical changes to the provision of civil legal aid. Around 600,000 people per year will no longer have access to legal aid once the Act comes into force on 1 April 2013.

Several draft Regulations are currently being made which will refine the scope of some elements of the 2012 Act. We are concerned about a number of aspects of these Regulations, including:

– the telephone gateway, which will drastically affect how clients access legal advice;

– evidential requirements for victims of domestic violence to show they are eligible for legal aid; and

– clarifications for how judicial review work will be funded.

A briefing for the meeting prepared by the Legal Aid Practitioners Group is available to download below.

Members are asked to contact their MP to ask them to attend to discuss these crucial issues.

If members would like to attend the meeting they are asked to email the APPG address to check availability: info@appg-legalaid.org

Please note that the meeting will now take place at Portcullis House.