The bill to implement the government’s legal aid reforms is to be published next month, and is likely to contain some key concessions, the Gazette has been told.
Sources within Parliament have indicated that the rules for funding in private family cases, where there is an issue of domestic violence, could be changed.
The current proposals have been criticised for using a narrow definition of domestic violence, which covers only physical violence.
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It is also believed that there could be some changes to the proposals to remove the majority of social welfare law from the scope of legal aid, although legal aid minister Jonathan Djanogly (pictured) gave no indication of this in last week’s Westminster Hall legal aid debate.
It is understood that the government’s response to the consultation submissions is almost finalised, and will be published on 30 May 2011.
The precise timing of the publication of the Justice Bill remains uncertain, but the Ministry of Justice’s business plan, published last week, says it intends to publish the legislation in June.
It is understood that the government is currently looking for MPs to sit on the bill’s scrutiny committee.
The Ministry of Justice said that both the response to the consultation submissions and the justice bill will be published ‘in due course’.
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