Scottish Legal Aid Board annual report

 

The Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB) has announced a fall in the annual cost of legal assistance, while the amount paid to advocates increased.

In its report for 2015-2016, SLAB reported that the cost to the taxpayer of legal assistance was £137.8m, compared to £138.6m the previous year.

Payments to advocates totalled £14.5m, up from £11.9m, while the figure for solicitors was £104.8 (from £107.7), and for solicitor-advocates it was £2.7m (from £3m).

Gordon Jackson, QC, Dean of Faculty said: “The Faculty is a firm believer that access to justice is absolutely vital towards a fair society which is subject to the rule of law. And legal aid is a very important asset in ensuring access to justice.

“Quite simply, if access to justice is to be meaningful, then it is essential that skilled legal advice and representation should be available to all who need it, whatever their circumstances.“

Full details of the annual report at http://www.slab.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/annual-report/reports/2015-2016.html