To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the level of weekly disposable income below which (a) free legal aid and (b) contributory legal aid was available in (i) 1979, (ii) 1993, (iii) 1994 and (iv) 1995; what was the percentage of the adult population eligible for (a) and (b) in each of those years; and what is the present-day value in real terms of these disposable income levels. [35545]
The hon. Member will recall that I was unable to provide him with an answer to his question earlier this year. I am now in a position to do so and it is set out in the tables. It is not possible to calculate figures to show the percentage of the adult population eligible for (a) free legal aid and (b) contributory legal aid so I have shown eligible households instead. All figures are annual ones.
| Table 1—Levels of annual disposable income for non-contributory and contributory civil legal aid | |||
| Year | Non-contributory | Contributory | PI |
| 1979 | 7,500 | 3,600 | — |
| 1993 | 2,294 | 6,800 | 7,750 |
| 1994 | 2,382 | 7,060 | 7,780 |
| 1995 | 2,425 | 7,187 | 7,920 |
| Table 2—What is the present day value in real terms of these disposable levels | |||
| Year | Non-contributory | Contributory | PI |
| 1979 | 3,816 | 9,138 | — |
| 1993 | 2,403 | 7,126 | 7,860 |
| 1994 | 2,439 | 7,229 | 7,935 |
| 1995 | 2,425 | 7,187 | 7,920 |
Note:
1979 figures have been uprated from the retail prices index: "All items excluding Housing" series since 1979.
Table 3—Percentage of households eligible for non-contributory and contributory civil legal aid (figures given are combined totals)
| ||
Year
| Contributory
| PI
|
| 1979 | 77.2 | - |
| 1993 | 48.17 | 50.66 (PI) |
| 1994 | 48.45 | 51.25 (PI) |
| 1995 | 47.26 | 49.67 (PI) |
Note:
In 1979 the percentage eligible for non-contributory legal aid was 28 per cent. It is more difficult since 1993 to accurately estimate the percentage eligible for non-contributory legal aid. We believe that the figure is in the region of 20 per cent. to 25 per cent.
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department in respect of how many cases the legal aid fund has reimbursed the costs of a successful opponent in each of the past five years. [37158]
It is not possible to identify exactly the number of cases in which the legal aid fund has reimbursed the costs of a successful unassisted party under the terms of section 18 of the Legal Aid Act 1988; the Legal Aid Board records the number of payments made but not the number of cases in which section 18 costs are reimbursed. The number of payments made each year was:
- 1990–91: 119
- 1991–92: 134
- 1992–93: 171
- 1993–94: 186
- 1994–95: 158
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the current annual expenditure on legal aid in Britain; and what are the equivalent figures in other EU countries. [37215]
Annual net provision for legal aid expenditure in the United Kingdom, excluding administration, for the current financial year is as follows:
| £m | |
| England and Wales | 1,457 |
| Scotland | 133 |
| Northern Ireland | 22 |