UK legal aid reforms to save less than predicted
The Government will save less than half of the £270 million it predicts through the proposed reforms to legal aid, and planned cuts will actually result in additional costs for the taxpaper by shifting the burden on to other areas of the public purse, according to a report published today by Kings College London. In his report, Unintended Consequences: the cost of the Governments Legal Aid Reforms, Dr. Graham Cookson, from the Department of Management analysed the intended changes to family, social welfare and clinical negligence law, which together account for 85 percent of current civil legal aid expenditure. Dr. Cookson identified knock-on costs of £139 million per annum meaning the Government will realise approximately 42 per cent of the predicted savings. These unintended costs will largely be borne by other government departments including a predicted £28 million being shouldered by the NHS each year. Dr. Cookson said: "This research undermines the Government's...