ASYLUM CLAIMANTS: LSC will not grant any new contracts in London for 2004/05

Law firms will be forced to drop out of immigration legal aid work over the next 16 months, immigration solicitors warned this week after fresh government attempts to limit representation for asylum seekers.

The Legal Services Commission (LSC) has told London firms it will not grant any new legal aid contracts in the capital.

This, coupled with proposals from the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) to cut the time spent on asylum application cases and a Whitehall drive to cut asylum applications, has prompted concern that firms will start dropping out of immigration work.

Legal Aid Practitioners Group (LAPG) chairman David Emmerson said: 'What the government is doing to a certain extent is increasing the number of people that can come in legitimately but those people still have ancillary immigration issues that need resolving.

Just because the government says the number of asylum claims is down by X amount doesn't mean the amount of work will go down.'

While the LAPG welcomes moves to cut out firms that overcharge the LSC or offer poor quality services, Mr Emerson warns that firms that perform well will have to stop representing immigrants.

'[The government] is talking about reducing the amount of claims by 75%, which makes the work unprofitable,' he said.

'Therefore there is some uncertainty as to what the supply base is going to look like in 16 months' time.'

Solicitor Chris Randall, executive committee member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association, agreed.

'Many asylum seekers find it difficult to find decent representation in London,' he said.

'To reduce the number of suppliers may make it even harder.'

Citing fears that the reduced contracts and hours are part of a 'DCA 'cost cutting exercise', Mr Randall warned that such a move might save money but would also impact on service.

He called for a review of the moves, to see whether money could be saved from elsewhere.

Mr Emmerson said it was too early to cut legal aid for immigration based on government projections of reduced asylum applications.

It would be better to wait until 2004/05, he added.

A spokesman for the LSC said the pool of immigration firms in London was too big, with some reported to be taking work from other areas with high levels of asylum seekers, such as Oakington and Dover.

No new contracts would be awarded in the bidding round for 2004/05, and there may be a 'significant' number of existing contracts that are not renewed, he said.

'Because of various factors, in particular the falling number of asylum seekers, we don't need the number of suppliers that we have got,' the spokesman added.

Chris Baker