Ancillary relief related cases are not separately recorded by the Legal Services Commission, but are classified under ‘financial provision proceedings’. Also included under this heading are: property adjustment/lump sum orders, periodical payments orders and transfers of tenancy. The table outlines the total number of civil legal aid certificates issued and the number of legal aid certificates issued for ‘financial provision proceedings’ in each financial year since 2004.
The number of certificates issued for financial provision has shown a steady decline since 2004-05. This is partly due to changes made to eligibility for legal aid for ancillary relief, introduced in October 2005, which tightened the criteria where alternative sources of funding may be available.
London Midlands North South Wales Total Total certificates 2006-07 26,513 35,814 52,184 28,638 8,656 151,805 2005-06 26,711 36,854 51,748 30,750 8,921 154,984 2004-05 27,176 36,310 50,970 30,751 9,304 154,511 Certificates for financial provision proceedings 2006-07 1,616 5,564 6,277 4,323 1,301 19,081 2005-06 1,673 6,828 7,019 5,587 1,440 22,547 2004-05 1,937 7,091 7,173 6,179 1,601 23,981 Notes: 1. Certificates are classified according to the location of the lead supplier. 2. These totals have been revised to include back-dated certificates issued after year-end. 3. Certificates are classified according to the first or main proceedings. 4. Further information has led to the reclassification of a few certificates previously reported under financial provision proceedings.