This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
Listen
More Public Defence Solicitors Offices announced
20/10/2006
Access to legal aid is to be further increased by a trebling of the number of Public Defence Solicitors Offices (PDSO's) in Scotland.
Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry today announced that a further six offices are to be set up throughout Scotland in addition to the three existing offices in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. The new locations are Dundee, Aberdeen, Falkirk, Ayr, Dumfries and Kirkwall.
PDSOs offer a different way of providing criminal legal aid with solicitors directly employed by the Scottish Legal Aid Board.
Hugh Henry said:
"The Executive is committed to providing access to justice for all. We want to modernise legal aid by developing more choice for people needing legal advice and assistance.
"We believe that publicly funded criminal legal assistance in Scotland is best delivered by a mix of salaried legal professionals and those in private practice. The Public Defence Solicitors Offices play a vital role in widening the range of choices available to accused persons.
"Already the PDSO's in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness are increasing access to legal aid in those areas. However, I recognise that there are other parts of Scotland where there may be limited competition for publicly funded criminal legal advice.
"We have therefore decided to open new PDSOs in some areas to provide an additional element of competition. The PDSO service can also help deal with gaps in the provision of criminal legal services. The opening of a PDSO office in Kirkwall is an example of this.
"From the north of the country to the south, we are increasing the number of PDSO's to provide a wider choice of legal services to help plug gaps where these exist and enable better co-ordination of these services.
"Along with the measures in the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Bill on improving access to legal aid, we want to ensure that high quality legal services are delivered in the right place, at the right time and for the right price."
Iain A Robertson CBE, Chairman of the Scottish Legal Aid Board said:
"We welcome the Minister's decision to ask the Board to further expand the public defender network. We believe that the PDSO not only offers clients increased choice and a more holistic service, but offers value for money and enables valuable insight into the operation of the criminal justice system. We will work in partnership with those involved in the criminal justice sector in these new areas to establish the new offices in 2007."
Background
There are currently three PDSOs in Scotland, in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. PDSOs offer a different way of providing criminal legal aid with solicitors directly employed by the Scottish Legal Aid Board.
The new locations for the PDSO's are Dundee, Aberdeen, Falkirk, Ayr, Dumfries and Kirkwall. They are expected to open in 2007.
The number of solicitors employed by the PDSOs will increase from nine to around twenty. Total expenditure on criminal legal assistance in 2004-2005 was £109 million, the costs of the three existing PDSO's was £831,000 of this total.
Measures in the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Bill, which is currently going through stage 2 in the Parliament include:
- creating a Scottish Legal Complaints Commission independent of the legal profession
- transferring the power to grant legal aid in solemn cases from the courts to the Scottish Legal Aid Board (SLAB)
- allowing SLAB to fund advisors with appropriate skills and expertise, not just solicitors. This will mean that payments from the Legal Aid Fund, under the Advice and Assistance scheme, will be available to people such as experienced non-lawyers in the voluntary sector who specialise in social justice issues
- enabling a wider range of legal service suppliers to provide representation
- The Bill an important element in the Executive's programme of improving access to publicly funded legal advice which includes the expansion of the provision of both civil and criminal legal assistance by solicitors directly employed by SLAB, where it is appropriate to do so; extending financial eligibility for civil legal assistance; working together with SLAB and with local authorities to develop a joint approach to the proactive planning, co-ordination, support and development of publicly funded legal assistance.