Panel's wider role

Your recent lead article suggests that the Legal Services Commission is somehow not giving due weight to advice it receives from the public interest advisory panel (see [2001] Gazette, 12 April, 1).Nothing could be further from the truth.

The panel has an important role in advising the commission on the public interest of applications for public funding.

Its views are always fully taken into account by the commission.

Your report states that after the panel had concluded that a case had a significant wider public interest, nevertheless an application was later 'dismissed by the LSC's Leeds area funding office'.

This is incorrect.

The application in this case by Sheffield firm Howells was in fact dismissed by a funding review committee, consisting of solicitors and barristers in private practice.

Because such committees are independent the commission does not have control over decisions or reasons given by committees in individual cases.

We have already taken steps to have this particular case considered by a differently constituted committee because of our concerns about the reasons given by the first committee.

The decision of that further committee on the legal merits of the case is still awaited.

We will ensure that the final decision in this and any other case is fully consistent with the public interest advisory panel's recommendations.

Public interest is an important part of the funding regime and the panel plays a vital role in the new scheme.

Colin Stutt, secretary, LSC public interest advisory panel