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Mr. Atkinson
To ask the Attorney-General if he will make a statement on time taken from receipt of claim to the payment of solicitors in the No. 3 (southern) legal aid area.
The Attorney-General
Details on the time taken from receipt of claim to the payment of solicitors in the No. 3 legal aid area are kept in the form of percentages of set targets for the board. Legal aid area No. 3 experienced difficulties early last year but these have now been addressed and the area is now regularly surpassing its targets. Its oldest claim awaiting assessment and payment dates from 9 December 1991.Figures are available for a 12-month period and are set out in the table.
| Payment within 6 weeks | |||
| Civil Per cent. | Criminal per cent. | Other bills Per cent. | |
| Office target for payment within 6 weeks | 65 | 80 | 95 |
| Actual achievement over last 3 months | 90·1 | 97·2 | 97·5 |
| Actual achievement over last 6 months | 77·9 | 94·7 | 96 |
| Actual achievement over last 12 months | 64·8 | 92·7 | 94·3 |