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THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HER BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S GOVERNMENT

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18 January 1983

CABINET

INTERIM PAYMENTS FOR C I V I L LEGAL AID WORK

Memorandum by t h e S e c r e t a r y o f S t a t e f o r t h e Home Department

1. At t h e i r m e e t i n g on 16 December, t h e C a b i n e t i n v i t e d me t o arrange f o r

the Home and S o c i a l A f f a i r s Committee (H) t o c o n s i d e r f u r t h e r t h e S o l i c i t o r

General's p r o p o s a l s f o r an i n t e r i m scheme t o reduce t h e a r r e a r s o f payments

owed t o b a r r i s t e r s and s o l i c i t o r s under t h e c i v i l l e g a l a i d scheme. The

Cabinet t h o u g h t t h a t about £20 m i l l i o n m i g h t be made a v a i l a b l e f o r an i n t e r i m

scheme i n 1982-83, p r o v i d e d t h a t i t was l i n k e d t o a r e v i e w o f t h e c o s t s and

fees i n c i v i l l e g a l a i d cases, and t o p r o g r e s s towards improved c o n t r o l o f

c o s t s (CC(82) 53rd C o n c l u s i o n s , Minute 5 ) .

2. H Committee have now reached agreement on r e v i s e d p r o p o s a l s p u t f o r w a r d

by t h e S o l i c i t o r G e n e r a l , under w h i c h about £30 m i l l i o n would be made

a v a i l a b l e i n 1982-83 t o meet some 10 per c e n t o f t h e o u t s t a n d i n g fees f o r

c i v i l l e g a l a i d work. £20 m i l l i o n o f t h i s t o t a l would r e p r e s e n t a n e t

a d d i t i o n t o p u b l i c e x p e n d i t u r e i n t h e c u r r e n t y e a r , and t h e r e m a i n i n g

£10 m i l l i o n would be f i n a n c e d f r o m t h e L o r d C h a n c e l l o r ' s e x i s t i n g a l l o c a t i o n

f o r 1982-83.

3. Only c l a i m s made b e f o r e 18 February 1983 f o r work done under c i v i l l e g a l

aid c e r t i f i c a t e s i s s u e d on o r b e f o r e 31 March 1981 w i l l be c o n s i d e r e d under

the i n t e r i m scheme. B a r r i s t e r s w i l l be a b l e t o c l a i m 30 p e r cent o f o u t ­

s t a n d i n g f e e s , w h i l e s o l i c i t o r s w i l l be e l i g i b l e f o r f l a t r a t e pay payments

of £150 f o r each c o u n t y c o u r t o r m a t r i m o n i a l case, and £300 f o r each High

Court case. A d j u s t m e n t s w i l l be made as n e c e s s a r y once t h e f i n a l b i l l s have

been assessed o r t a x e d .

4. Progress towards a more permanent scheme w i l l depend on t h e achievement

of improved c o n t r o l over c i v i l l e g a l a i d c o s t s . To t h i s end, o f f i c i a l s have

been i n s t r u c t e d t o u n d e r t a k e an u r g e n t e x a m i n a t i o n o f t h e reasonableness o f

payments t o l a w y e r s i n l e g a l a i d cases, w h i l e t h e L o r d C h a n c e l l o r has agreed

to press ahead as q u i c k l y as p o s s i b l e w i t h h i s c o n s u l t a t i o n s w i t h t h e j u d i c i a r y I

and t h e p r o f e s s i o n on improvements i n c i v i l l i t i g a t i o n p r o c e d u r e s . The

S o l i c i t o r G e n e r a l w i l l , s u b j e c t t o t h e L o r d C h a n c e l l o r ' s o v e r a l l respon­

s i b i l i t y f o r t h e l e g a l a i d system, take p e r s o n a l charge o f n e g o t i a t i o n s w i t h

the p r o f e s s i o n on a number o f i s s u e s , i n c l u d i n g g r e a t e r s t a n d a r d i s a t i o n i n

payments i n c i v i l cases, t r a n s f e r o f t h e r e s p o n s i b i l i t y f o r f i x i n g fees i n

c i v i l cases f r o m t h e Rule Committees t o t h e L o r d C h a n c e l l o r , improved

procedures i n m a t r i m o n i a l cases, and a r e v i e w o f t h e Green Form scheme. The

S o l i c i t o r G e n e r a l w i l l r e p o r t back t o H Committee no l a t e r t h a n J u l y 1983 on

the outcome o f t h e s e n e g o t i a t i o n s .

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5. H Committee agreed i n p r i n c i p l e t h a t arrangements s i m i l a r t o those

i proposed by t h e S o l i c i t o r General f o r England and Wales might be i n t r o d u c e d

i n S c o t l a n d , s u b j e c t t o agreement on a s a t i s f a c t o r y scheme b e i n g reached w i t h

the C h i e f S e c r e t a r y , T r e a s u r y .

6. S u b j e c t t o t h e a p p r o v a l o f t h e C a b i n e t , t h e S o l i c i t o r General w i l l

announce t h e i n t e r i m scheme by means o f an e a r l y r e p l y t o an a r r a n g e d

P a r l i a m e n t a r y Q u e s t i o n . T h i s w i l l be a low-key announcement, w h i c h , w h i l e

acknowledging t h e need f o r a supplementary e s t i m a t e i n due c o u r s e , w i l l n o t

r e f e r i n terms t o t h e a d d i t i o n a l e x p e n d i t u r e o f £30 m i l l i o n i n 1982-83.

7. The Committee concluded t h a t t h e S o l i c i t o r General's r e v i s e d p r o p o s a l s

d i s c h a r g e d t h e r e m i t g i v e n by t h e C a b i n e t on 16 December, and I now i n v i t e

colleagues :

t o endorse t h e proposed i n t e r i m scheme and t h e a s s o c i a t e d c o n s u l ­

a. t a t i o n w i t h t h e p r o f e s s i o n ; and

b. t o agree t o an e a r l y announcement on t h e l i n e s proposed i n

paragraph 6 above.

W W

Home O f f i c e

18 January 1983

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