To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria were used by the Legal Aid Agency in determining that the families of victims of the Shoreham air show crash were not entitled to financial support when other parties involved in the inquest will have state supported legal representation.
Answered on
6 February 2018
The Director of Legal Aid Casework (DLAC) must have regard to the Lord Chancellor’s guidance set out under section 4(3) of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offender’s Act (LASPO) 2012. The criteria applied by the Legal Aid Agency are outlined under Section 10 of LASPO. The DLAC must also determine whether an applicant meets the financial eligibility test as provided in the Civil Legal Aid (Financial Resources and Payment for Services) Regulations 2013 and the merits criteria set out in the Civil Legal Aid (Merits Criteria) Regulations 2013.
The families’ representatives have asked the Legal Aid Agency to review the decision but have requested more time to submit further evidence.