Legal Services Commission finally given all-clear by auditors
The Legal Services Commission (LSC), whose functions transferred to the Legal Aid Agency in April, has finally evaded the curse of the auditors.
For the first time in three years, its annual financial statements have been given the all-clear by Amyas Morse, the head of the National Audit Office. While the statements showed an estimated £14.5m irregular payments to legal aid providers, Morse did not consider this to be material in the context of annual payments of £2.1bn.
In 2009–10 an estimated £76.5m of irregular payments were found. In 2010-11, this figure decreased to £50.7m. Last year, £35.6m of irregular payments were found.
