Clause 1 - Extent of duty to fund advice and assistance
Criminal Defence Service (Advice and Assistance) Bill [Lords]
10:30 am
Mr David Lock (Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department; Wyre Forest, Labour)
I am certainly prepared to give the hon. and learned Gentleman an assurance that, on the evidence, our best assessment is that sufficient lawyers will have signed up to the contracts by 2 April to enable us to discharge our duties under the criminal defence contracts. For example, the number of offices operating in Wales a few years ago was about 540. It is now fewer than 300. However, the spend on those 300 offices, which are now quality-marked, represents well over 90 per cent. of the previous total spend across all the offices. We are clearly moving to a quality-assured system, where the number of firms is reducing but we are ensuring that those firms that remain in the system are quality-marked. We are, therefore, confident of the quality of service to clients that is being paid for out of public money.