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1000 people came off the Duty Solicitor list in April 2017. 5100 remain. Coincidentally there is a fall in claims to criminal legal aid because;
(1)There is a great shortage of front line police officers to even take complaints of offences being committed.
(2)The magistrates courts are very quiet at the moment because of the introduction of a new computer system on 6th Dec 2017.
(3)The police have been told not to charge and bail anyone now until the 6th Dec 2017.
(4)The new letters asking defendants to go to court introduced in April 2017 are not it appears being sent out in a timely fashion either and there may be a deliberate policy to delay these, in place now.
(5)The new 'released under investigation' procedures too is delaying the start of court cases.
(6) Some police officers are actively discouraging the presence of a solicitor at interview by telling suspects it would
"take ages' for a solicitor to attend and help or even 'they cannot attend as a voluntary attender with a solicitor and have to be arrested and taken into custody if they want a free solicitor at interview,instead.'
These factors will all result in a drop in the claims for criminal legal aid.
Whitehall may erroneously conclude this is due to 1000 people dropping off the list of Duty Solicitors instead of these other causes.