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Member of Parliament for Bradford East@DavidWardMP on Twitter and Facebook |
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David Ward MP <>
Legal Aid victory for Bradford
April 22, 2012 6:40 PM
Bradford MP David Ward has won a major concession from the Government on funding for Bradford's hard working advice centres.
David Ward tabled amendments in the Commons which would ensure that vulnerable people including the disabled and those out of work could continue to access legal aid funded support for complex cases. This amendment won a majority in the House of Lords forcing the Justice Minister to drop plans to restrict access to legal aid for those facing welfare tribunals.
David also backed successful calls to drop plans to restrict access to legal aid for victims of domestic violence.
Commenting David said:
"I am delighted that the Government has seen sense on these issues.
"The advice centres we have here in Bradford do fantastic work, helping people from all kinds of backgrounds to pick their way through complex systems. Legal aid is an absolutely essential part of their funding and I am very pleased that the Justice Minister has decided to maintain that for the most complex cases.
"Accepting a broader definition of domestic violence was also absolutely essential. The definition the Government were proposing was far too narrow and would have ruled out many extremely vulnerable abuse victims in desperate situations.
"I am confident that these changes will help to reduce current bill for legal aid, while also protecting advice for the most vulnerable."