Extra funding to restore work of Legal Aid Board

EXTRA legal aid is to be made available to people who cannot afford lawyers to represent them in divorce and other family law proceedings following a boost in funding for the Legal Aid Board.

But the additional funds may only restore waiting lists to their 2002 level rather than kickstart a downward trend after a period in which the board had to substantially reduce services because of cutbacks.

The board’s annual report shows that its funding allocation in 2003, which was down on 2002, and in 2004, which represented only a modest increase, forced it to reduce the number of legal aid cases it could take on in the Circuit Court as well as the number of private practitioners it could engage for District Court work.