JUSTICE MINISTER OUTLINES CHANGES TO LEGAL AID

摘要

"I have introduced a range of measures to reduce costs, without which the pressure would be greater. But we continue to spend more on legal aid per head than England or Wales, and well beyond our budget, so I will have to introduce further measures. "The forecast requirement for 2015/16 is £103.6million. However, in line with the Executive cuts, the budget has been reduced by 15% from £75million to £64million. This leaves a pressure of £40million. "I have made cuts elsewhere in my Department to allocate a further £18.5million to the budget, which still leaves a pressure of over £20million.