Legal aid solicitors received mixed messages this week as the government unveiled its plans for a fundamental review of the public funding system by insisting that it does not intend to slash the budget, while at the same time suggesting they are doing more work, but achieving less.

Legal aid minister David Lammy told Parliament that the review will involve 'constructive dialogue' with all parties in the system - including solicitors - to address how legal aid services can meet society's needs while also ensuring the best use of taxpayers' money.

He complained that the legal aid budget has risen by 500 million over the past seven years to 2 billion, but denied that the review was a cost-saving exercise.

'This is not a review of current remuneration rates,' he argued.

'It is not about crude cuts.'

However, a separate statement from the Department for Constitutional Affairs said: '[The review] will look to identify underlying processes and procedures which increase the work of lawyers but do little to advance the fairness or effectiveness of the justice system.'

Legal Aid Practitioners Group director Richard Miller said he hoped the review would reveal that legal aid spend was like a 'balloon that expands when you blow into it'.

He added: 'The budget will not stop increasing until the policies of other government departments that impact on the budget are constrained.'

Law Society chief executive Janet Paraskeva renewed Chancery Lane's arguments for innovative approaches such as GP-style contracts and a thorough investigation into the use of salaried services.

'The costs of criminal legal aid have risen dramatically because of a raft of new criminal justice policies and laws,' she added.

Paula Rohan