Legal Advice and Assistance (Financial Conditions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006

Made1st March 2006

Coming into operation10th April 2006

The Lord Chancellor makes the following Regulations in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 3(2), 7(3), 22 and 27 of the Legal Aid, Advice and Assistance (Northern Ireland) Order 19811 and now vested in him2:

Citation, commencement and interpretation1

1

These Regulations may be cited as the Legal Advice and Assistance (Financial Conditions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006 and shall come into operation on 10th April 2006.

2

In these Regulations, “the Order” means the Legal Aid, Advice and Assistance (Northern Ireland) Order 1981.

Revocation2

The Legal Advice and Assistance (Financial Conditions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 20053 are hereby revoked.

Persons eligible for advice and assistance3

For the weekly sum of “£203” specified in Article 3(1) of the Order4 there shall be substituted the weekly sum of “£208”.

Contributions from persons receiving advice and assistance4

For the weekly sum of “£86” specified in Article 7(2) of the Order5 there shall be substituted the weekly sum of “£88”.

Signed by authority of the Lord Chancellor

Bridget PrenticeParliamentary Under-Secretary of State,Department for Constitutional AffairsDated 1st March 2006

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Legal Aid, Advice and Assistance (Northern Ireland) Order 1981 so as to:

a

increase the upper income limit to make legal advice and assistance available to those with disposable income of not more than £208 a week (instead of £203);

b

increase the lower income limit below which legal advice and assistance is available without payment of a contribution to £88 a week (instead of £86).

No changes are made to the capital limits.