This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-23967908

The article has changed 7 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
Legal aid U-turn over price competition plan Legal aid U-turn over price competition plan
(35 minutes later)
Plans to cut the legal aid bill by awarding contracts to the lowest bidder have been dropped, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has announced.Plans to cut the legal aid bill by awarding contracts to the lowest bidder have been dropped, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling has announced.
In an interview with the Times newspaper, Mr Grayling said the move was part of a deal he had reached with the Law Society for England and Wales.In an interview with the Times newspaper, Mr Grayling said the move was part of a deal he had reached with the Law Society for England and Wales.
Opponents of the policy had warned the policy would "irrevocably damage the criminal justice system".Opponents of the policy had warned the policy would "irrevocably damage the criminal justice system".
But other cuts to legal aid are expected to go ahead.But other cuts to legal aid are expected to go ahead.
In a statement in the Commons Mr Grayling said prisoners and households with more than £3,000 per month of disposable income would no longer be able to access legal aid.
And immigrants who had been in the country less than a year would be unable to access aid in civil cases, he said.
Ministers had intended to introduce price competitive tendering (PCT) as part of a string of reforms aiming to cut the £2bn annual legal aid bill in England and Wales by £350m a year.Ministers had intended to introduce price competitive tendering (PCT) as part of a string of reforms aiming to cut the £2bn annual legal aid bill in England and Wales by £350m a year.
BBC legal correspondent Clive Coleman said the proposal was very controversial, with concerns that the lowest bid would win in a "race to the bottom" which could impact quality.BBC legal correspondent Clive Coleman said the proposal was very controversial, with concerns that the lowest bid would win in a "race to the bottom" which could impact quality.
He said that while the bidding proposal had been scrapped other savings would go ahead as the government remained committed to saving money on the UK's legal system - which is the most expensive in the world.He said that while the bidding proposal had been scrapped other savings would go ahead as the government remained committed to saving money on the UK's legal system - which is the most expensive in the world.
'Factory mentality''Factory mentality'
There are currently 1,600 legal aid providers and there is potential for that number to be expanded if firms meet minimum quality standards.There are currently 1,600 legal aid providers and there is potential for that number to be expanded if firms meet minimum quality standards.
It plans to put a cap on contracts for duty solicitor work at police stations and to reduce legal aid fees by 17.5% across the board.It plans to put a cap on contracts for duty solicitor work at police stations and to reduce legal aid fees by 17.5% across the board.
The government also plans to set up a working party to look at how thousands of short hearings can be avoided, or dealt with by email or video link.The government also plans to set up a working party to look at how thousands of short hearings can be avoided, or dealt with by email or video link.
Its final proposals on legal aid reform will be subject to a six-week consultation, our correspondent added.Its final proposals on legal aid reform will be subject to a six-week consultation, our correspondent added.
In a Commons debate on Wednesday, Labour MP Karl Turner had warned: "The government's proposals for PCT will irrevocably damage the criminal justice system. Mr Grayling said: "We will introduce a new residency test that will prevent most people who have only just arrived in the UK from accessing civil legal until a year after they had arrived.
"PCT will inevitably lead to the market being dominated by the big multinationals, the usual suspects - G4S, Serco, Capita. "We will limit criminal legal aid for prisoners so that it is not available unnecessarily. There will be no more legal aid available because you don't like your prison.
"And I fear many new entrants to the market who have absolutely no experience whatsoever in delivering criminal justice will dominate the market." "We will set out new rules that will mean the wealthiest Crown Court defendants - those in households with more than £3,000 in disposable income left after tax, housing costs and other essential outgoings - will have to fund their own legal costs."
He warned it would no longer be viable for "small businesses, the expert businesses who have established their practices over a number of years" to "continue to exist". He said that when the government set out its plans in April "I was clear that they were for consultation. I have kept that promise".
Mr Turner concluded: "We will see the cornerstone of a civilised society reduced to a factory mentality where quantity will trump quality at each and every time." He said that the agreement is "a sensible proposal which is tough but realistic".
The shadow justice secretary, Labour's Sadiq Khan, described plans to drop plans to award contracts to the lowest bidder as "a humiliating climb-down" for the government.
He added: "If the government had their way, access to justice for many people would have been threatened, with the very real prospect of increased numbers of miscarriages of justice."