Following recent inquiries in which at least one of the parties were unable to afford legal counsel, will the Minister state what steps the Welsh Government is taking to ensure fairness at hearings, and consider establishing a fund to help improve access to legal support?
I agree the cuts in funding the justice system imposed by the UK Government have fundamentally compromised the ability of people to secure legal support and fair representation at hearings, and so have undermined access to justice and the rule of law. The UK Government’s own Post Implementation Review of the impact of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 recognised there were many adverse consequences arising from implementation of the Act and costs were indirectly transferred to a wide range of other public sector departments and third sector agencies. I anticipate that The Commission on Justice in Wales will have more to say on this subject when it reports later this year.
Notwithstanding that justice is reserved and the responsibility of the UK Government, we recognise the real devastation caused to people’s lives by the UK Government’s policies. We are doing everything we can to help people who, because of these cuts, would otherwise not have any access to legal advice at all. We are providing more than £8 million of funding annually to support the provision of integrated and quality assured social welfare legal advice services across Wales and are working with advice providers in regional networks across Wales to provide a joined up, ‘no wrong door’ service.