The second committee stage session of the Legal Aid, Sentencing
and Punishment of Offenders Bill took place in the House of Lords
on 10 January. The following amendments relating to the legal aid
provisions were debated:
- an amendment to clause 1 to secure the quality of expert
evidence
- an amendment to insert a new clause requiring an impact
assessment to be carried out on the impact of the proposed legal
aid reforms before the bill is implemented. Reference was made to
the recent King's
College report commissioned by the Law Society on knock-on
costs for the government resulting from the legal aid
proposals
- an amendment to clause 2 requiring that any arrangements made
by the lord chancellor under clause 2 powers are subject to
approval by affirmative resolution from both houses
- amendment to clause 2 requiring consultation with
representative bodies on any proposed changes to payments to
solicitors and barristers
- amendment to clause 4 to guarantee the independence of the
director of legal aid casework
- a new clause to provide a right of appeal to a first tier
tribunal against a funding decision by the director of legal aid
case work
- an amendment to clause 7 to include 'collaborative law' within
the definition of civil legal services
All these amendments were rejected by the government and
withdrawn, but sponsors expressed their intention to return to the
more significant ones at the report stage.
The next committee session will take place on 16 January.