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06 November 2009 / Roger Smith
Issue: 7392 / Categories: Opinion , Legal aid focus
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Reviewers, lies & statistics

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Let us remember the names of the reviewers and researchers of legal aid since 1997: Sir Peter Middleton, Frontier Economics, Matrix Consultancy, Lord Carter of Coles, the (hapless) in-house Fundamental team and now Sir Ian McGhee. As Labour came into office, it asked a retired banker what to do. As it seemed likely to leave, it asked a former civil servant the same question.

Let us remember the names of the reviewers and researchers of legal aid since 1997: Sir Peter Middleton, Frontier Economics, Matrix Consultancy, Lord Carter of Coles, the (hapless) in-house Fundamental team and now Sir Ian McGhee.

As Labour came into office, it asked a retired banker what to do. As it seemed likely to leave, it asked a former civil servant the same question.

Sir Ian is being guided to make recommendations about splitting the legal aid fund into criminal and civil budgets. The intention is to encourage cuts to criminal provision to preserve the erosion of civil funds which happens under a combined budget.

One of Labour’s great

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