The UK Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke has announced that there will be a six month delay to April 2013 in implementation of proposed legal aid cuts, such as the introduction of a "telephone gateway" and the abolishment of the Legal Services Commission. The government claims the reason for this delay is because legal contracts need to be rescheduled, however it comes amidst staunch opposition to cuts from social welfare organisations and the House of Lords.
Mr Clarke said "We intend, subject to parliamentary approval of the legal aid, sentencing and punishment of offenders bill, to implement all of the legal aid reforms in April 2013. This will include the abolition of the Legal Services Commission under the bill and the creation of the new agency in its place." Mr Clarke had also said to the Financial Times that attempting to implement the cuts any earlier would be an "administrative train crash".
Justice For All, a campaign for free legal advice, says it is "hopeful significant improvements to the planned cuts can be achieved, softening the blow - but there is no doubt that in a little under 18 months time thousands more people with serious but everyday problems will be left with nowhere to turn." UK Supreme Court judge Baroness Hale has also warned of the negative consequences of the legal aid cuts in a speech at a Law Centres' Federation conference.
Meanwhile in Ireland, criminal lawyers went on strike last week over the cuts in the criminal legal aid budget, leading to around 120 cases being adjourned. The Criminal Law Practitioners Association, a coalition of barristers and solicitors had called the strike on the basis of "a cut in fees under the [legal aid] scheme of up to 40pc since the recession began". Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said to the Irish Seanad that the striking lawyers were a "disgrace" and that some of those involved had received "enormous fees" in the past.