This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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New Member of Legal Aid Board
30/08/2002
Peter L Gray QC has been appointed to the Scottish Legal Aid
Board, Justice MInister Jim Wallace announced today.
The appointment will run from September 1, 2002 until March
31, 2006, attracting a salary of £7,600 per annum for a
commitment of 3.5 days per month.
Mr Gray is a member of the Faculty of Advocates. He was
called firstly to the English Bar in 1984 and to the Scottish
Bar in 1992. He served as Advocate Depute from 1998 to 2000 and
was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2002. He is currently Chairman
of the Faculty's Criminal Bar Association. Mr Gray holds no
other public appointments and no political activity has been
declared.
The Scottish Legal Aid Board is an independent statutory
body established under the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986. The
main functions of the Board are:
- To assess and, where appropriate, grant legal aid
applications
- To scrutinise and settle accounts submitted by
solicitors
- To collect applicants' contributions or awards of
expenses against the other side in the case of civil legal
aid
- To provide advice to Scottish Ministers on legal aid
matters
The Board has an annual budget of around £135m, which
includes the Legal Aid Fund and the Board's running costs.
This Ministerial public appointment was made in accordance
with guidance issued by the Office of the Commissioner of
Public Appointments (OCPA). A statement of validation from the
Independent Assessor appointed by OCPA has been obtained. This
confirms full compliance with the OCPA Code of Practice at each
stage of the appointments process.
The post of Commissioner for Public Appointments was
established in November 1995 on the recommendation of the
Committee on Standards in Public Life, then popularly known as
the Nolan Committee. The Commissioners role is to regulate,
monitor and report on ministerial appointments to health
bodies, as well as non- departmental public bodies, public
corporations, nationalised industries and the appointments of
the Utility Regulators.