The Deputy will appreciate that under section 5(1) of the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995, the principal function of the Legal Aid Board is to provide, from within the board's resources and subject to the other provisions of the Act, legal aid and advice in civil cases to persons who satisfy the requirements of the Act and the regulations made thereunder. In addition, under section 30 of the Act, responsibility for determining how legal services should be provided, including the location of law centres, the staffing required by these centres, and the use of private practitioners is a matter for the board. In this regard the function of the board includes identifying both the level of demand for its services and the most suitable way in which to meet the demand for services.
I can inform the Deputy that that the private practitioners scheme will continue to operate. In reviewing the use of the scheme, the board has decided that priority should be given to cases involving domestic violence and that other cases, where domestic violence is not an issue, will be referred to the board's law centres. Where a domestic violence case which has been referred to a private practitioner includes matters concerning child access, custody and maintenance, these matters will also be dealt with by the private practitioner. I am informed by the Legal Aid Board that, in recent years, approximately 65% of the legal aid certificates issued included a domestic violence matter.
