Legal Aid Scheme: Travellers Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much funding the Legal Services Commission has provided for Travellers to provide representation at (a) planning inquiries and (b) court cases on planning in each of the last five years; [160151] (2) how much funding has been provided to Travellers under the exceptional funding scheme relating to planning issues in each of the last five years; [160149] (3) how much funding has been provided through the Legal Services Commission to the Community Law Partnership for the provision of legal advice for Travellers on planning in each of the last five years. [160153] Jeremy Wright: The Legal Aid Agency (former Legal Services Commission) is unable to say how much funding has been provided for Travellers under the exceptional funding scheme or for representation at planning inquiries and court cases on planning, because it does not hold information to indicate whether clients in such cases belong to particular ethnic groups. The Community Law Partnership is contracted with the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) to provide face-to-face and telephone advice. In face-to-face advice, the LAA does not record travellers separately. In telephone advice, it is not possible to distinguish the costs relating to planning from other costs associated with housing matters. Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether Travellers (a) facing planning enforcement cases and (b) applying for retrospective planning permission, are eligible for legal aid; and what his policy is on using money from the public purse to assist Travellers in challenging planning enforcement decisions of the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. [160152] Jeremy Wright: Under the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, civil legal aid is not generally available for planning matters—including retrospective planning permission. Where an individual faces eviction from their home (including the land on which the home is located) legal aid is generally available (subject to means and merits) in relation to that matter. However, where the individual is a trespasser, legal aid is not available in relation to eviction.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Jul 2013 08:41:35 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015