Report comment

Er....does anyone else recall reading:

Part 3, Clause 29 - Criminal courts charge
4. Purpose of Clause: Clause 29 shows the Government’s recognition that charging guilty defendants an amount towards the costs of their criminal case is a legitimate means to raise additional revenue to support the criminal justice system.
5. The Law Society's position: The Society welcomes Clause 29.
6. For many years, there have been calls on the Government to introduce such a charge to support the legal aid fund. The Society would invite it to treat the funds raised by the new Charge as a legal aid levy dedicated to fund this vital service, in light of the significant cuts to legal aid that already have occurred as well as the huge reductions it is now proposed to make under the Transforming Criminal Legal Aid programme.

From the Law Society Parliamentary brief on the Bill, March 2014