Housing and Access to Legal Aid Debate
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Anne Main
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Housing and Access to Legal Aid
Anne Main Excerpts(5 years, 11 months ago)
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Liz Saville Roberts (Dwyfor Meirionnydd) (PC)
I congratulate the hon. Lady on securing the debate. North-west Wales has only one provider of housing legal aid for a population of more than 300,000 people. Travel has already been mentioned, but we should also note that a single provider might not have the capacity to deal with the needs of all its potential clients, and may well have to put people on lists based on their needs. Some people who need urgent help might not be reached. Secondly, that single provider may also—[Interruption.]
Mrs Anne Main (in the Chair)
Order. The hon. Lady is not making a speech. There should be no first and secondly; there is one intervention.
Ruth Cadbury
The hon. Lady is absolutely correct. The other problem if there is only one legal aid provider is that both parties might go to them. There are then problems, because to whom should it offer help and advice?
Ellie Reeves (Lewisham West and Penge) (Lab)
My hon. Friend mentioned early legal advice. Of course, one recommendation from the Bach commission is that early legal advice can help to save money in the long run. The Law Society estimates that the cost of early legal advice on housing benefit claims would be £1.7 million to £2 million each year, but the costs through avoidable evictions are often far greater for individuals, councils and the NHS. Will—
Mrs Anne Main (in the Chair)
Order. Would the hon. Lady sit down? There is plenty of opportunity to speak. These are not interventions when they are of such length. Please form a question quickly to the hon. Member for Brentford and Isleworth (Ruth Cadbury).
Ellie Reeves
Does my hon. Friend agree that reintroducing early legal advice would help to solve the housing crisis?