Access to Justice
Access to Justice |
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Press ReleaseLegal Aid Board annual report highlights increasing demandThe Legal Aid Board today presented its 2008 Annual Report to the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr Dermot Ahern, TD. The Board provides civil legal aid and advice to those on lower incomes through its nationwide network of law centres. It also offers legal services for those seeking asylum through its Refugee Legal Service. In 2008, the Board saw an 18% increase in the number of new applications for legal services. In all, individuals received legal assistance from the Legal Aid Board in over 21,000 cases in 2008. Family law accounted for the bulk of the work on the civil legal aid side. The increased demand was largely attributable to the economic downturn. As the provision of services by the Board is means-tested, increased unemployment and lower incomes have seen a greater number of persons becoming financially eligible for legal aid and advice. In addition, evidence from many jurisdictions indicates that an economic downturn gives rise to an increased need for legal advice and assistance in areas such as debt, employment and family law. Ireland has proved no different in this regard. The Chairperson of the Legal Aid Board, Ms Anne Colley, acknowledged that the increased demand, coupled with the difficult environment for the public finances, presented a challenge to the Board to maintain its level of service provision. Ms Colley said that “with an increasing number of applications for legal services, waiting times for initial appointments with solicitors are coming under further pressure. However, we are determined to continue to pursue our objective of providing a quality service within a reasonable timeframe”. She also pointed out that many of the cases dealt with by the Board require an immediate or near immediate service and, as such, a significant proportion of the Board’s clientele are not placed on a waiting list. The Board’s Chief Executive, Mr Moling Ryan, pointed out that the Board had taken steps to maximise its effectiveness. “The Board has been taking and continues to take a proactive approach to make the optimum use of the resources available to us”, he said. “We have critically reviewed all areas of our operations over the past two years; the law centre network, the Refugee Legal Service and our head office operations. The implementation of the recommendations arising out of these reviews are intended to help the Board maximise the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of its operations”. HighlightsIn total, the Board received over 15,000 new applications for legal services in 2008, an increase of almost 18%. The main factor in this was the deteriorating economic situation, which meant that a greater number of people became financially eligible for civil legal aid. Exchequer funding increased to €26.988m on the law centre side in 2008, an increase of over 11% on the previous year. For the Refugee Legal Service, funding increased to €8.897m, up 3%. The number of cases processed in the law centre network in 2008 was 14,917, up over 7% on the previous year. A substantial rise in the number of legal advice cases handled was the main factor in this. In addition, a further 2,983 legal aid cases were processed using the Board’s Private Practitioner service, up 29% on 2007. The Refugee Legal Service saw 3,219 new clients registering for legal services in 2008, up by 21% on 2007 Whilst waiting times for an appointment with a solicitor came under increased pressure in 2008 due to increased demand, legal services were provided within 4 months in almost all of the Board’s law centres. A priority service was provided in over 20% of the cases handled in law centres, such as those involving domestic violence, child care, child abduction or statutory deadlines. Over the course of the year, the Board carried out a review of the operations of its law centres. A number of recommendations emerged which aim to optimise the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of the law centre network. The Board engaged external consultants to carry out a risk assessment of its legal service delivery. The report, received earlier this year, will lead to significant standardisation of processes and procedures across the Board’s law centre network. In 2008, in order to promote awareness of the Board’s services, quarterly meetings of the External Consultative Panel were held. The Board also collaborated on the production of an information booklet on civil legal aid by the Law Society, which is primarily aimed at the solicitors’ profession. The Board facilitated further training for both its own solicitors and private solicitors in the collaborative law dispute resolution model. It also co-hosted, with the Law Society of Ireland, a symposium on alternative dispute resolution in family matters with the stated aim of making non-court-based dispute resolution a real option for those experiencing family law problems. The Board drew up a new Corporate Plan towards the end of the year. This sets out the Board’s objectives for the 2009-2011 period, together with the actions intended to achieve them, in what will be a very challenging period in terms of both demand and funding. ENDS |
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