combined wisdom

John Galt gives the impression that the Legal Services Commission has replaced the old Legal Aid Handbook with a 270-page contract and a three-volume manual (see [2000] Gazette, 14 September, 18).

This is not correct.

The first point is that the contract itself forms part of the manual, indeed it comprises virtually the whole volume 2.

Secondly, the manual replaces not just the handbook, but also the old loose-leaf Guidance on the Exercise of Devolved Powers (GEDP), itself about 440 pages long.

The new manual has obvious advantages over the handbook in that it is loose-leaf and is updated three times a year.

It is also a comprehensive guide for the practitioner.

Items appearing in our newsletter, Focus, concerning changes to the commission's guidance now appear in the next update to the manual, ensuring a coherent flow of information to the profession.

The guidance in volume 3 of the manual (which replaces that in the old GEDP) is much better laid out and easier to follow than its predecessor.

We accept that there is a considerable number of changes going through the system, and this is likely to continue while the Community Legal Service beds in and develops and the Criminal Defence Service is introduced in April 2001.

This necessitates a regular flow of information which can be quite daunting.

However, we are convinced that the manual makes the task of keeping abreast of it all that bit easier for the busy practitioner.

Caroline O'Dwyer, press manager, Legal Services Commission