Legal aid access for digitally excluded

5 items 2 sources

Insufficient provision and access to legal aid for digitally excluded individuals, exacerbated by reliance on remote advice.

Legal aid access for digitally excluded has been flagged across 2 independent accountability sources:

4 inquiry recs 1 PFD report

This issue has been identified by multiple independent accountability bodies, suggesting it is a recurring systemic concern.

Recommendation: We recommend that applicants should be eligible for legal aid to allow them to obtain legal assistance to make an application for an award.

Gov response: No formal government response published.

Recommendation: IBCA include a prominent reference to the availability of legal support paid by IBCA on all registration and application forms and in public information about the compensation scheme and that the Solicitors Regulation Authority remind solicitors of their obligations.

Gov response: The remaining 11 recommendations focus on IBCA delivery. Further detail on these will be set out by IBCA in due course.

Recommendation: I recommend that the scheme should include provision of the following support services to be provided without charge to the applicant: a) an advice and advocacy service, supplemented where necessary by discretionary access to independent legal advice and representation, where …

Gov response: With respect to recommendations 15 and 17 of the Second Interim Report, the Government acknowledges the immense psychological harm that has been caused as a result of this scandal, and is committed to offering psychological …

Recommendation: That consideration be given to the provision of Legal Aid to victims or the families of victims to cover representation at an Inquest in appropriate cases.

Concerns: Council debt recovery procedures failed to accommodate a vulnerable individual's age, mental awareness, and inability to use modern communication methods, contributing significantly to his tragic death.