Law Society welcomes
improved performance from Legal Services
Commission
The Law Society has welcomed a
noticeable reduction in errors at the Legal Services Commission
(LSC), the body charged with administering legal
aid.
The latest accounts, presented
to Parliament today, reveal that errors in the last year were down
34 per cent on the previous year. It also welcomed the fact that
the LSC has explicitly recognised the work of solicitors in
reducing the error rate.
The Law Society urged the LSC to
continue to work with the Society and its members in tackling
errors, improving the workings of the system particularly in delays
in payment and in making the legal aid system less
complex.
Law Society chief executive
Desmond Hudson said:
“By working with the
Society and its members the LSC has made a positive step towards
being more accurate and efficient. We recognise the significant
efforts made by the LSC in tackling these problems.
'We will continue to work with
them to maintain this momentum. The system remains too complex and
susceptible to errors, all the more unacceptable when every
possible penny should be spent on improving access to justice. The
legal aid budget, already under pressure, will, if current
proposals before Parliament are passed, be cut further, so we
welcome the LSC's continuing commitment to work with us and
the legal profession to improve its
administration.”
Ends
Contact: Steve Rudaini, The Law
Society
+44 (0)20 7316
5624