To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for acts of assistance relating to housing the Legal Services Commission (LSC) received in each of the last five years; and what percentage of the total number of requests to the LSC relating to housing each figure represents. (259677)

Applications for acts of assistance by way of legal help are received by the supplier, for example the solicitor or advice bureau, and central records are not kept by the Legal Services Commission (LSC). However, the LSC does have records of applications granted in terms of the number of new matters started, as reported to it by suppliers. Table 1 as follows shows the number of housing new matters started in each of the last five financial years. These figures include matters started under Community Legal Service Direct telephone advice scheme introduced in July 2004.

The LSC directly receives applications for acts of assistance by way of civil representation. The number of such applications received for housing matters, and the proportion granted are shown as follows at table 2.