Free legal advice, because your rights matter.
Free legal advice, because your rights matter.
Matthew Elliott, head of the Taxpayers’ Alliance, has joined the chorus of dissent over the cuts to legal aid, arguing in his Daily Mail column on Monday that “Almost everyone who has looked at these particular cuts thinks that too many of them will end up costing taxpayers more than they save.”
He goes on to say that: “‘The Impact Assessments in support of the cuts contain 15 separate statements that the MoJ does not have evidence for its predicted savings and 30 admissions that they are based on speculation. This is pretty extraordinary.”
His article cites CAB research which shows £80 spent on housing advice can save thousands, and King College London’s recent report on the costs of cutting legal aid for clinical negligence.
He was quoted, in turn, by Labour’s Andy Slaughter and Willy Bach in several short parliamentary debates yesterday which touched on the importance of legal aid and not-for-profit advice centres.
In the Commons Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs expressed concern over the future of Law Centres and other not-for-profit agencies, and urged government to come up with a long term solution for the sector. The Minister’s reply referred to the Advice Review currently being undertaken by the Cabinet Office, and coincidentally this morning saw the last of four regional meetings Justice for All has organised to feed into this review. Staff from the Cabinet Office were at all four events, and we will be publishing a report on what they heard in the next few weeks.
The Minister in the Lords, Lord McNally, also mentioned the review when replying to several questions from Peers of all parties about the future of legal aid. He accused critics of citing the ‘worst case scenario’ when predicting dire consequences for clients and for agencies. A ‘worst case scenario’ which he does not accept.
But as Matthew Elliott shows, he has little evidence on which to reject it. Elliott predicts “We could even see a much bigger Tory and Lib Dem rebellion on this one than the Government defeat on charges for using the Child Support Agency.” And “when even Norman Tebbit says a public spending cut is going too far you know something is wrong.” The same principle no doubt applies to Matthew Elliott and his organisation. Ken Clarke and his Ministers should take note.
