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Launch of the Legal Aid Board Annual Report 2006
Minister Brian Lenihan TD, Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform today launched the Legal Aid Board's Annual Report for 2006. The report outlines the areas in which the Legal Aid Board provided civil legal services in 2006 to persons on lower incomes. Some of the main points highlighted in the report are as follows:
> Almost 17,500 persons were provided with legal services by the Board in 2006, covering legal advice, legal aid and asylum matters.
> Family law was the largest single area in which it provided services. Legal aid was provided in over 5,700 cases involving divorce/separation/nullity in 2006, up 7% on the previous year. There were also increases in other family law and childcare cases.
> Financial eligibility limits for applicants were increased in 2006, meaning that more people had access to the Board's services.
> Waiting times for an appointment with a solicitor fell in most of the Board's law centres and all eligible applicants for legal services received an appointment with a solicitor within four months of making an application.
> The Board enhanced its commitment to non-adversarial dispute resolution mechanisms in family law, such as collaborative law and structured negotiation.
> Just under 3,000 new clients registered with the Board's Refugee Legal Service, a reduction of 10% on 2005. This was down to fewer asylum seekers in 2006.
In welcoming the report, Minister Lenihan said that; "the work that the Board carries out, in line with its legislative mandate, is very important in terms of social inclusion as it provides access to justice in civil cases for the less well off in our society". The Minister also pointed out that the increase in the financial eligibility limits together with the increased funding of the Board in recent years showed that the Government is committed to maintaining accessible legal services for the more vulnerable members of society.
The Chairperson of the Legal Aid Board, Ms Anne Colley, welcomed the improvements in service provision which were evident in 2006:
"In a year in which the total number of persons assisted was close to 17,500, waiting times for an appointment fell in 21 law centres", Ms Colley said. "I would like to commend the Chief Executive and staff of the Legal Aid Board on the strong performance of the organisation in delivering on its objectives for 2006", she added.
Note for Editors
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