David vows to challenge legal aid changes
Bradford MP David Ward has promised to confront ministers over the impact of proposed legal aid changes on Bradford.
Legal aid changes a "false economy"
The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill currently being debated by Parliament will make wide ranging changes to legal aid, including withdrawing all support for welfare benefits appeals and family cases, except where there has been domestic abuse.
A motion at the Liberal Democrat Conference has called for legal aid for welfare appeals to be retained and a meeting of the Liberal Democrat Lawyers' Association has condemned the planned changes.
Commenting David said:
"I have with groups providing free legal advice and representation to vulnerable people right across Bradford. They are all very concerned about the effect these changes will have on their organisations and the people they help.
"Some adjustments do need to be made to bring down the cost of legal aid system which is one of the most expensive in the world. But the reality is that legal aid is often the only way that less-well-off people can afford to see a solicitor. Taking away this right will only stack up costs in other areas and could allow serious injustices to go unchallenged.
"I will be pressing for the Government to look again at their proposals to make sure that vulnerable groups remain protected. Ministers are suggesting that family law should only be available for victims of domestic abuse but the definition of "abuse" that they have chosen is far too narrow. I know from my own casework that there will be some very vulnerable people in desperate situations who would be denied help under these criteria.
"I also think that ministers need to rethink the decision to withdraw support for all welfare benefit appeals. We deal with far too many cases where the department for work and pensions have made major errors and they clearly view the appeals process as a safety net. It is madness to take away support for people to question bad decisions when as many as 40% are being overturned on appeal.
"The recent motion at our conference shows that there is a strong will in the Party to do something about this and I will be seeking meetings with ministers in the coming weeks to highlight my concerns. The Government need to understand the impact this could have in a place like Bradford where many valued advice centres could simply close down and very significant numbers of people could be left unable to have their voices heard."