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IN accordance with the Pre-Action Protocol for Judicial Review Claims, solicitors acting for the Bar Council have written to the Legal Aid Minister, Lord Bach and to the Chairman of the Legal Services Commission, Sir Bill Callaghan in order to advance proceedings for judicial review of the Government’s consultations on criminal legal aid.
The consultations concern the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme and Very High Cost Cases (VHCCs) scheme which have been initiated by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Legal Services Commission (LSC) respectively. The Bar Council’s action follows the rejection by the MoJ and the LSC of the Bar’s request that the Government should combine the deadlines for responses to these consultations and to join them to the timetable for the response to the proposed consultation on a single graduated fee for Crown Court cases. A full pre-action letter will be sent shortly.
Bar Chairman Nicholas Green QC said:
‘The Bar Council asked the MoJ and the LSC to adopt a coordinated and fair approach to their decision-making on the very important matters which are the subject of these consultations. The Government has rejected our request to co-ordinate the consultation timetabes and refused to supply us with the information for which we asked to enable the Bar to respond to the two current consultations. These are inextricably linked to an, as yet, unpublished third consultation. The principal basis of our claim will be that the consultation exercise is unfair and, in our view, unlawful.’
Bar Chairman Nicholas Green QC said:
‘The Bar Council asked the MoJ and the LSC to adopt a coordinated and fair approach to their decision-making on the very important matters which are the subject of these consultations. The Government has rejected our request to co-ordinate the consultation timetabes and refused to supply us with the information for which we asked to enable the Bar to respond to the two current consultations. These are inextricably linked to an, as yet, unpublished third consultation. The principal basis of our claim will be that the consultation exercise is unfair and, in our view, unlawful.’
IN accordance with the Pre-Action Protocol for Judicial Review Claims, solicitors acting for the Bar Council have written to the Legal Aid Minister, Lord Bach and to the Chairman of the Legal Services Commission, Sir Bill Callaghan in order to advance proceedings for judicial review of the Government’s consultations on criminal legal aid.
The consultations concern the Advocates’ Graduated Fee Scheme and Very High Cost Cases (VHCCs) scheme which have been initiated by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and the Legal Services Commission (LSC) respectively. The Bar Council’s action follows the rejection by the MoJ and the LSC of the Bar’s request that the Government should combine the deadlines for responses to these consultations and to join them to the timetable for the response to the proposed consultation on a single graduated fee for Crown Court cases. A full pre-action letter will be sent shortly.
The Bar Council will press for investment in justice at party conferences, the Chancellor’s Budget and Spending Review
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