Proposals may cut access to legal aid

Asylum seekers’ access to good legal advice will be curtailed under government proposals on legal aid, campaigners have warned.

According to The Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA), some private practices and not-for-profit providers might not be able to survive under the plans, formulated by the Department for Constitutional Affairs and the Legal Services Commission.

Legal services for most asylum claims will be paid for using a graduated fee scheme from April 2007, under which practitioners providing advice and representation up to the first appeal will be paid a fixed amount. But the ILPA said the rate had been set far too low.

● Legal Aid: A Sustainable Future