Many low-income families excluded from free legal aid

THOUSANDS of low-income families are being denied the basic human right of access to legal advice because of an outdated system of means-testing for the State's free legal aid scheme, it was claimed yesterday.

A new report by the organisation, Free Legal Advice Centres (FLAC), states the scheme is failing to match the demand for its services due to inadequate funding and resources.

The highly critical study also sets out to debunk the widespread misconception that civil legal aid is free as it points out that even social welfare recipients have to pay a contribution towards the cost of the service.