Scottish Legal Aid Board Saves Taxpayer Millions of Pounds and Facilitates Access to Legal Services ; the Sound of Silence

Summary

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Mike Dailly made reference to legal aid expenditure and the Scottish Legal Aid Board's running costs (Letters, November 10). Unfortunately, Mr Dailly's use of figures is incorrect and may mislead.

He refers to the legal aid fund of pound(s)150m and states: "Once you subtract the money solicitors recover from opponents, third party outlays and VAT, the budget is closer to pound(s)89m." However, the figure of pound(s)150m is actually the net figure after deducting recoveries and applicants' contributions of around pound(s)12m. The gross expenditure from the legal aid fund has been between pound(s)160m-pound(s)167m over the past three to four years.

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Scottish Legal Aid Board Saves Taxpayer Millions of Pounds and Facilitates Access to Legal Services ; the Sound of Silence

The gross expenditure is made up of outlays (cost of experts, solicitors' travel, and so on...

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