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Legal Aid

Volume 449: debated on Monday 17 July 2006

To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what criteria govern the awarding of legal aid in housing cases. (84557)

Applicants for legal aid in housing cases can obtain legal aid for legal advice and information, investigative help, or legal representation, if they pass the standard tests of financial eligibility and if their case meets the criteria for the grant of funding, as set out in the Funding Code. Housing cases are considered a priority for funding, and the Funding Code criteria for legal representation in housing cases reflect this. Cases in which the roof over the applicant’s head is directly at issue are considered to be of “overwhelming importance” to the applicant and can be funded in a wider range of circumstances than other housing cases.