26 April 2012

CILEx “extremely disappointed” as LASPO Bill is set to become law

The Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) is extremely disappointed that after a parliamentary passage that saw it defeated 14 times in the Lords, the controversial Legal Aid, Sentencing & Punishment of Offenders Bill (LASPO) now awaits Royal Assent.

Chief Executive of CILEx, Diane Burleigh said: “CILEx is extremely disappointed by the Government's rejection of Lord Pannick’s amendment; ensuring people should have access to legal services that ‘effectively meet their needs’. It was absolutely vital that the Bill contained a statement of principle that the purpose of legal aid is to promote access to justice within the available financial resources.

“The Bill still fails to recognise that equal access to the law is fundamental to the functioning of democracy. People need to have the means to enforce their legal rights. The Bill will remove such means from some of the most disadvantaged groups in society. Justice will pay the price of these reforms.”

Speaking at CILEx’s historical graduation on Monday (23 April 2012), Lord Phillips of Sudbury criticised the bill, stating: “Law is vitally important in the lives of our fellow citizens, more so today than ever before, there is no justice in a democracy unless it is available to the poor and the rich."

Lord Pannick did not push his amendment further, but, referring to the coalition's plans for Lords reform, said that if he were a member of an 80% elected House he would have pushed his amendment. He described the bill as "bad" but Shadow Justice Minister Lord Bach went further, saying that the Bill's provisions on social welfare law "are not just bad, they are wicked.”

CILEx now calls on the government to adequately monitor and assess the impact of the provisions following their implementation.

ENDS