Scottish Government
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Legal aid
The Scottish Government today published a paper outlining proposals for the future of legal aid provision.
'A Sustainable Future for Legal Aid' follows the recent publication of the Scottish Government's public spending plans for the next three years, and sets out proposals for maintaining a fair, high quality and equitable legal aid system which maintains public confidence at an affordable and sustainable level of expenditure.
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill said:
"Despite the challenge imposed through significant budget cuts from Westminster, the Scottish Government has been - and remains very firmly - committed to maintaining and improving access to justice.
"The Scottish Legal Aid Board and the profession are continuing to work well in the face of some difficult circumstances. The implications of the UK Supreme Court's decision in the Cadder case, for example, has put additional pressures on the legal aid system.
"However, it is important that we do not allow the difficulties presented by the current economic climate to undo the good work that has been done so far. This paper sets out a range of proposals that we believe can protect access to justice, while delivering efficiencies and savings that will ensure the long-term integrity of the legal aid system. We will now discuss these proposals in detail with stakeholders."
