Access to Justice
Access to Justice |
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Foreword As Chairperson it gives me considerable pleasure to introduce the Legal Aid Board’s new Corporate Plan, which includes our main objectives for the service in the three years up to the end of 2011. The Board and I are particularly conscious of the importance of civil legal aid to clients, to government and to society. Notably, it enables people who might not otherwise be in a position because of the financial costs involved to defend or vindicate their rights. This facility to access justice by the more disadvantaged and vulnerable in society is one of the hallmarks of a modern, egalitarian society and we are acutely aware of the responsibility vested in us by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Government. I am pleased to record that we have continued to achieve our target of providing a service to clients in the form of an appointment with a solicitor within a maximum of four months. Indeed, a considerable number of our law centres offer appointments within a shorter period and more than 16 per cent of applicants get an almost immediate service because of the nature of their cases: domestic violence, child abduction, child care or cases where statutory time limits are close to expiry. We need to continue to ensure the provision of a timely service if it is to be a meaningful one. As with other public services there will inevitably be pressure on our capacity to maintain the level of service we have been providing in recent years because of the more straitened financial and economic environment within which we must exist. In our case the pressure is even more pronounced because of the increasing demand for our services. It is unlikely that the demand will lessen over the duration of this Plan. Yet, society owes it to the less well off to ensure that their capacity to access justice is no less than their more fortunate fellow citizens. Our aspiration for the Legal Aid Board is well reflected in the vision we have crafted for the organisation: to facilitate access to justice through the provision of a civil legal aid and advice service which compares with best practice internationally. The Board knows that there is an even greater need now to ensure that the service we provide is of the optimum efficiency and effectiveness. The financial and human resources available to the Board will be utilised in the best possible manner and we are determined to ensure there is excellent value for money in relation to all aspects of the service. The service which our solicitors provide on a national level continues to be complemented by solicitors and barristers in private practice and, in the view of the Board, reflects the very best of effective co-operation between the public and private sectors. The Board is aware that the challenges set in this Plan in terms of the service aspired to be provided is utterly dependent on the continued commitment of our staff at all levels. To date this commitment has been very evident, not just in direct provision of legal services in the traditional manner but also in spearheading initiatives in areas of alternative dispute resolution. We wish to ensure that clients are presented in certain cases with means of resolving disputes with the minimum amount of long term damage, and with outcomes that are of mutual benefit to each of the parties and to the welfare of children. We have set a large number of challenging targets over the next three years and are determined to ensure that the commitment and creativity shown by our staff since the inception of the Board will go a considerable distance to their achievement, despite the challenging environment in which we will be operating. Anne Colley Chairperson, Legal Aid Board November 2008 More Information: Introduction Mission Statement Mandate Vision Values Environmental Analysis High Level Goals HLG 1 Service HLG 2 Communications HLG 3 Resource Management HLG 4 Innovation HLG 5 Capacity Development Implementing the Corporate Plan |
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