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A challenge to how the legal aid exceptional funding scheme is implemented, and a claim that it is “unfit for purpose”, came before the High Court on the day after the Government issued revised guidance. The charity Public Law Project argued that the scheme, which is supposed to provide a safety net for those denied legal aid, is “inaccessible” to the majority of those who may need to use it, because they cannot get the legal help required to submit an application. It follows a Court of Appeal ruling last December that the Government’s guidance on exceptional funding for legal aid in immigration cases is unlawful.
A challenge to how the legal aid exceptional funding scheme is implemented, and a claim that it is “unfit for purpose”, came before the High Court on the day after the Government issued revised guidance. The charity Public Law Project argued that the scheme, which is supposed to provide a safety net for those denied legal aid, is “inaccessible” to the majority of those who may need to use it, because they cannot get the legal help required to submit an application. It follows a Court of Appeal ruling last December that the Government’s guidance on exceptional funding for legal aid in immigration cases is unlawful.
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