Law Centres

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Scotland – in the House of Commons am 12:00 am ar 6 Chwefror 1991.

Danfonwch hysbysiad imi am ddadleuon fel hyn

Photo of Lord James Douglas-Hamilton Lord James Douglas-Hamilton , Edinburgh West 12:00, 6 Chwefror 1991

There are four law centres in Scotland. In response to the point made by the hon. Member for Glasgow, Garscadden (Mr. Dewar) in Committee in the summer, we changed the law to ensure that there was no statutory barrier to solicitors working in them and receiving a fee. That has all gone through. There is the Castlemilk law centre, to which the hon. Member for Leicester, East (Mr. Vaz) paid tribute, the Scottish child law centre, the Scottish legal services agency and the ethnic legal services project. If a local authority feels that there is a need for such a centre, it should submit an application for urban aid and we shall look upon it sympathetically because the law centres have an important role to play. The ethnic legal services project is funded through the urban programme. As I have already mentioned, we have changed the law to ensure that there is no statutory bar to further expansion.