Policy
31 January, 2006
MPs urged to attend parliamentary debate on termination of Specialist Support Service contracts
Proforma letter now available for agencies who've used the service to send to their MP
With the Legal Services Commission's decision to terminate its Specialist Support Service contracts from July 2006 due to be debated in parliament on 2 February 2006, contract holders are calling for those agencies who have used the service to contact their MP urgently to ask them to attend the debate.
To assist in this, Morgans Solicitors, Specialist Support contract holders in Wales, have produced a proforma letter for agencies to use.
The letter highlights that the Specialist Support Service has been extremely successful throughout England and Wales; that it provides assistance in very complex areas of law; and that the LSC's decision will have a significant impact on the advice agencies that have been able to call upon the service. The letter concludes -
'We urge you to assist in the campaign to seek the reconsideration of the LSC's decision. We very much hope that the LSC do in due course withdraw the current notices of termination issued to specialist support contractors – for what is clear is that the advice service we provide to our clients will suffer without specialist support service assistance.'
A copy of the proforma letter for agencies to send to their MP is available here.
NB - the Child Poverty Action Group has also produced a briefing for MPs ahead of the parliamentary debate. In addition to setting out the background to the issue, the briefing highlights that the LSC's decision is contrary to -
- its corporate priorities;
- its proposals for the Community Legal Service;
- its own evidence that shows that specialist support increases public access to frontline advice services; and
- its report on specialist support submitted to the Fundamental Legal Aid Review which stated that there is a need for specialist support and highlighted that demand will rise.
'The LSC should not pull the plug on specialist support. Without (it) some of the very positive proposals set out in the vision for the Community Legal Service will not be properly realised.
To promote the seamless, accessible, quality assured advice system the LSC says it wants, any development in front-line services needs to be matched by an availability of second-tier support. Much of the time and money that has been spent on setting up this valuable and successful project will have been wasted.'
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