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Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Beith MPLiberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Berwick Upon TweedWorking for you and the Berwick upon Tweed Constituency all year roundin Northumberland and in Westminster |
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MP gets backing for criticism of changes to legal aid contracts
March 11, 2008 10:30 AM
Local CABs like those in Berwick and Alnwick are being hit by new fixed fees for legal aid contracts, and this will hit some of the most vulnerable people in our area, Alan Beith MP told the Liberal Democrat conference last week.
The Conference passed a resolution backing criticisms made of the new scheme by the House of Commons Justice Committee, which Alan Beith chairs. He told the Conference that in rural areas the Citizens Advice Bureau is often the only source of legally-aided advice on welfare law, and that rural solicitors were also being forced to give up legal aid work, presenting severe problems to people who have nowhere else to turn for help.
"We warned the Government of the dangers", he said, "and they are responsible for the shambles which is resulting from ill-thought out changes in the way legal aid is financed."
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