Access to justice must be a priority for the government, according to a report from the Centre for Social Justice.
Every Family Matters, a report by the centre, which is chaired by the former leader of the Conservative Party, Iain Duncan Smith MP, focuses on the breakdown of family life in the UK and the way this is addressed by the legal system.
It recommends that budgets for family legal aid be ringfenced, that banks be encouraged to promote more finance for family law litigation and the courts given powers to grant interim lump sums to help with these costs.
The report states: “Access to legal advice is an integral part of family law and without it the courts will be cluttered in a way which will inevitably lead to significant delay and real risks of injustice....expenditure on this important public service is plainly low and especially in comparison with other similar services.”
Lucy Theis QC, chairman of the Family Law Bar Association, said: “The Family Bar works incredibly hard for its clients and is being
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