Law Society: Further drop in legal aid spend a ‘major concern’

Responding to the publication of the Scottish Legal Aid Board’s (SLAB) annual report 2017, which shows a further overall drop in legal aid spending from £137.8 million to £135.7 million, Graham Matthews, president of the Law Society of Scotland, said: “It remains a major concern… that there has been another drop in expenditure over the past year. While we fully understand that public funding remains an issue, the social, health and emotional cost, as well as the increased financial outlay, of leaving these unresolved is just too high a price to pay.

“We have recently undertaken research into the social return on investment offered by legal aid and early intervention in Scotland and are due to publish the results later this month.

“Initial findings support previous research carried out some years ago in England and Wales, that providing legal advice at an early stage reduces increased public spend further down the line when situations become more complex and costly to resolve.”

He added: “Members of the public are right to expect an efficient service which works to resolve legal problems quickly and effectively. However we don’t believe the drop in legal aid spending correlates with a drop in legal need.

“The continued lack of investment is eroding access to justice for communities across Scotland and we remain concerned about people’s ability to access publicly funded legal advice and services in their local communities, particularly for those outwith the main urban areas.”