Govt 'should seriously reconsider' planned cuts to free legal services

A commentator has spoken out to say that the government should reconsider its planned cuts to free legal services for welfare cases.

Richard Miller QC, head of legal aid at the Law Society, said that recently the media has focussed on government studies which revel that some people claiming Employment & Support Allowance were able to work in some capacity, the Huffington Post reported.

Despite this, Mr Miller sad that many organisations and individuals have said that these figures are not accurate and that ATOS, the firm carrying out the tests, is claiming that people are able to work when they are not.

Mr Miller said: "It is actually legal aid funding for welfare benefits work that enables claimants to obtain the medical reports showing that ATOS has got it wrong."

He said that the government's planned cuts to free legal services in its Legal Aid, Sentencing & Punishment of Offenders bill will leave vulnerable people unable to seek justice.

"It is precisely for situations like this that the government needs to seriously reconsider its plans to cut legal aid funding for welfare cases," he said.

Mr Miller has been qualified as a lawyer since 1992, has been involved in the Legal Aid Practitioners Group and joined the Law Society in 2007.

Published by Hannah Carr