Sep 29 - Government and Opposition in Legal Aid Changes Spat
The Government has noted with astonishment the expression of disappointment by the GSD over the new rules on legal aid published last week. The administration believes that the GSD ‘appear to fail to understand that these rules and the new rates have been agreed with the Bar Council as representatives of the legal profession.’
No.6 is adamant that these changes are what the Bar Council wanted. In a statement responding to the GSD’s claims, No.6 explained that changes to the discrepancy which allowed lawyers from abroad acting in a legal aid case to charge at substantially higher rates than those payable to local lawyers has been removed.
The statement continues, ‘since 2012, the GSD has argued that there should be no distinction between complex fraud and other complex cases. The new higher rates apply to all exceptionally difficult and complex cases, whether involving fraud or not. This is something the GSD should be celebrating rather than expressing disappointment about.’
The Government has pledged to embark on a consultation process with the Bar Council on legal assistance (for civil cases). There is also a clear manifesto commitment to increase the financial limits on eligibility for legal assistance. The Government argues that the last time the financial limits were increased, was 1990 during the former GSLP Government’s tenure in office. No.6 insists that the Government has done much more in this area, that the GSD ever did.
