Legal services cuts "will shred safety net"

Legal services cuts are too deep and will put vulnerable individuals at risk, it has been claimed.

While functions such as personal injury and employment law used to be carried out under legal aid, cost-reducing measures mean currently only areas such as family and immigration are eligible for state funding.

The Guardian suggests the Ministry of Justice is an easy target and will disproportionately bear the brunt of the spending review, claiming: "Further cuts will finally shred the safety net."

Changing legal services provision means the number of solicitor firms offering legal aid has been cut by almost half, a move that some argue puts access to justice at risk.

Describing it as a "sacrificial victim", the publication maintains the reduced budget - which is predicted to be drop from £9 billion to £6 billion - will "starve the system entirely".

Initial talks of a £2 billion trimming led to estimates of 15,000 jobs being lost and deeper savings may mean more positions will be removed.