The Legal Aid in Criminal and Care Proceedings (General) Regulations 1989

Termination of contribution period

37.—(1) Where the contribution period has not ended and–

(a) the legally assisted person, the appropriate contributor or the spouse of the legally assisted person or appropriate contributor begins to receive income support or family credit (in this regulation referred to as “income-related benefits”); or

(b) the court remits any sum due under a contribution order which falls to be paid after the conclusion of the relevant proceedings; or

(c) the legally assisted person is sentenced in the proceedings to which the legal aid order relates to an immediate term of imprisonment or a sentence of detention in a young offender institution,

the contribution period shall be deemed to have ended on the date receipt of income-related benefits commenced or on the date of that remission or sentence, as the case may be.

(2) The court making any such remission or passing any such sentence shall inform the collecting court that the contribution period is to be deemed to have ended on the date of the remission or sentence.

(3) Without prejudice to regulation 31, the legally assisted person or the appropriate contributor shall inform the collecting court of the date on which receipt of income-related benefits commenced.

(4) Paragraph (1)(a) shall apply to a man and a woman who are living with each other in the same household as husband and wife as it applies to the parties to a marriage.