Programme to improve access to justice announced
Long claims the programme will refocus services putting people at the heart of the justice system
- Published
A major programme to improve access to justice has been announced by the Justice Minister Naomi Long.
She claims the Enabling Access to Justice programme will refocus services putting people at the centre of the system in Northern Ireland.
Last year legal aid totalling £114m was paid out - the highest amount in the history of the system.
The minister says they are already on track to spend the same amount this year.
Action needed
Naomi Long said by comparison the budget for legal aid when she first took up office in January 2020 was £76.9m.
She told MLAs she needs to take action to ensure the system is cost-effective and sufficiently transparent.
The minister said she wants to:
Increase eligibility for legal aid by opening it up to a wider proportion of society
Trial alternative dispute resolution models to take some cases away from the court
A root and branch review of fees for public legal aid structures to ensure the system is operating as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible
And an uplift in fees for publicly funded work to ensure fair remuneration and the continued availability of high-quality legal advice and representation
'Reset justice delivery for a generation'
In a statement to the Assembly, Long said: "It has to be acknowledged that there is increasing demand right across the justice system reflecting that all too often we are the provider of the last resort.
"I, therefore, need additional funds to ensure I can properly protect citizens to ensure the vulnerable are not at risk, that I can adequately resource police, prisons and justice delivery not in spite of the pressures facing other departments but because of them."
Long said that part of the reform will be ensuring those who can afford to pay their legal costs do so, so that public funding does not displace private funding.
Speaking in the Assembly on Monday, she added that "how we support access to justice can and does shape lives, and justice rarely gets the attention and funding it deserve".
"It is clear we have a strong foundation on which to build but it is equally clear that remodelling is required," she said.
Commissioner Designate for Victims of Crime Geraldine Hanna welcomes the programme announcement
Geraldine Hanna, commissioner designate for victims of crime, welcomed the programme announcement.
She said victims of crime needed "a simpler, clearer system that [removed] barriers and [improved] access to justice, particularly for the most vulnerable".
"It is essential that this system is sustainable and ensures fair remuneration for the legal profession working within it," she added.
"I hope that these reforms will help to bring that about. What I think all victims of crime want to see now is these reforms moving at pace."