PROVISION OF LEGAL SERVICES
- Session: 2010-12
- Date tabled: 01.11.2011
- Primary sponsor:
- Sponsors:
That this House considers that any attempt to economise on our arcane, high fee, high cost and adversarial justice systemby cutting legal aid must deprive the poor and people of modest means of access to justice; suggests that the inquisitional systems used in Europe provide justice at a fraction of the cost of the British system and lead to smaller prison populations; regrets that delivery of publicly-funded defence services by subsidy to private sector lawyers is characterised by excessively high fees for some lawyers, inadequate fees for others and creates a situation in which costs cannot be controlled without injustice, so that only a salaried public defender service can provide real value; further regrets that Max Weber's view that `the advantages of at least some aspects of the French and German systems are so marked that it seems ... almost inexplicable that the possibility of adapting items from them has been solittle explored in Britain' still rings true; therefore welcomes the greater use of salaried services and the cost savings introduced in Scotland; and calls on the Government to introduce along with these reforms, rights for victims and witnesses and to reduce the cost of the criminal justice system, using the savings to support drug treatment, education and training in prison and guarantee access to justice in civil cases.