In March 2011 the Access to Justice team of the Directorate for Justice issued a consultation document entitled Consultation on the introduction of Financial Contributions in Criminal Aid and Changes to Financial Eligibility. The objective of this consultation was to seek out views from stakeholders on a proposal to introduce a requirement to pay financial contributions in criminal legal aid and possible changes to financial eligibility in criminal legal assistance.
The stakeholders who responded to the consultation included bodies within the legal profession, umbrella bodies of legal advice suppliers in the voluntary sector, justice system agencies and user representatives. These responses are varied and informative, providing useful perspectives on the proposals set out in the consultation.