Independent Strategic Legal Aid Review Response to the Independent Strategic Legal Aid Review call for evidence May 2017 Table of contents Table of contents....................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 6 Our approach ........................................................................................................................................... 8 Executive summary and key recommendations ....................................................................................... 9 Funding ................................................................................................................................................... 9 Preventive Benefits ................................................................................................................................ 10 Criminal legal aid ................................................................................................................................... 10 Children’s legal aid ................................................................................................................................ 12 Legal aid – geography and demography of supply ................................................................................. 12 Legal aid and technology ....................................................................................................................... 13 Values and ethos of legal aid providers ................................................................................................. 13 Recommendations to the Scottish Government, the Scottish Legal Aid Board and the independent review ....................................................................................................................................................... 15 Funding .................................................................................................................................................... 16 Certainty and equitable treatment .......................................................................................................... 17 2015 report: Legal Assistance in Scotland – Fit for the 21st Century ..................................................... 19 Key results of the commissioned research ............................................................................................. 20 Analysis ................................................................................................................................................. 20 Other considerations .............................................................................................................................. 22 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................... 23 Preventive benefits ................................................................................................................................. 24 The prevalence and cost of unmet legal need ........................................................................................ 24 The value of research ............................................................................................................................ 25 Page 2 Civil legal aid and preventive benefits .................................................................................................... 26 Identifying effective points of intervention .............................................................................................. 27 Criminal legal aid and preventive benefits .............................................................................................. 30 Conclusions ........................................................................................................................................... 30 Criminal legal aid – police station advice .............................................................................................. 32 Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 ..................................................................................................... 33 Interim duty scheme .............................................................................................................................. 34 Police station advice in England and Wales ........................................................................................... 35 Proposed fees ....................................................................................................................................... 36 Criminal legal aid – summary ................................................................................................................. 37 Criminal procedure ................................................................................................................................ 37 Current fee structure – criminal ABWOR ............................................................................................... 38 Summary criminal proceedings .............................................................................................................. 38 First custodial sentence cases and contempt of court cases .................................................................. 39 Regulation 15 cover ............................................................................................................................... 40 Recommended structure ........................................................................................................................ 40 Cost analysis ......................................................................................................................................... 43 Solemn legal aid ...................................................................................................................................... 44 Eligibility ................................................................................................................................................ 44 Current fee structure .............................................................................................................................. 44 Early resolution of cases - section 76 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 ............................ 45 Early resolution of cases - section 80 of the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 ................................. 47 Recommended structure ........................................................................................................................ 48 Cost analysis ......................................................................................................................................... 51 Criminal legal assistance and appeals .................................................................................................. 53 Sheriff Appeal Court .............................................................................................................................. 53 Page 3 Fees for the new appeal court................................................................................................................ 54 Civil legal aid ........................................................................................................................................... 57 Advice and assistance ........................................................................................................................... 57 ABWOR ................................................................................................................................................. 57 Civil legal aid ......................................................................................................................................... 58 Current issues ....................................................................................................................................... 58 Family law.............................................................................................................................................. 61 Immigration and asylum ......................................................................................................................... 62 Mental health ......................................................................................................................................... 63 Adults with incapacity ............................................................................................................................ 63 Housing and benefits ............................................................................................................................. 65 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................. 66 Children’s legal aid ................................................................................................................................. 68 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 68 Advice and assistance ........................................................................................................................... 68 ABWOR ................................................................................................................................................