14,000 people on low incomes used legal aid in 2007

LEGAL Aid helped almost 14,000 people on low incomes last year, with most cases relating to marriage breakdown and child custody disputes.

Launching the Legal Aid Board’s annual report, chief executive Moling Ryan pointed out there had actually been a drop in the number of family-related cases in 2007 but warned numbers could rise again in the harsh economic times ahead.

Family law-related issues accounted for 85% of cases in advice centres.

Part of the reason for the decrease was due to disagreeing partners negotiating conflicts behind doors before they reached court.

“What I would like to see is that there is a culture in place whereby our solicitors and solicitors in the private sector are reflecting on the possibility of going down a route which is alternative to the adversarial in the courts,” explained Mr Ryan at the launch.

Figures show the Legal Aid Board managed to provide services to low income clients within four months in a little more than half of its centres.

Legal aid for refugee cases continued to fall.

There were 2,650 new clients seeking help for asylum cases last year, compared with 2,980 the previous year. This reflected the continued downward trend in asylum applications, said the board.

Overall there was only a small 5% increase in cases compared with 2006.

However, it warned that increased legal aid services might be needed by squabbling couples in times ahead, with families feeling the squeeze from the economic downturn.

“Inevitably there tends to be an association between the downturn in the economy and an increase in family law cases. That tends to be internationally the experience,” added Mr Ryan.

Out of the near 14,000 cases last year that the board advised on, 9,380 were directly involved in court proceedings.

Funding to the board from the exchequer increased by 11% to €24.2 million for the year.

Launching the annual report yesterday, Justice Minister Dermot Ahern praised the Legal Aid Board’s increased use of alternative dispute resolution in family cases, but he also warned the board to keep dealing with cases efficiently in the months ahead.

“Now, more than ever, it is imperative to ensure that the needs of clients are met in the most focused, accessible and cost-effective fashion possible,” he said.