Sir, The Legal Services Commission (LSC) and Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) have listened to what providers said during the consultation on Lord Carter of Coles’ recommendations for legal aid procurement (letter, Nov 30). We have adjusted the timing of the schemes as a result, and will now be moving ahead with our plans.
What some critics might call bureaucracy, we call accountability for public funds and quality assurance for vulnerable clients. However, we have introduced, and continue to introduce, new ways of providing these guarantees that are simpler and more efficient for service providers.
Of course, the procurement of legal aid is only part of the story — we need improved efficiency in the whole system. The LSC will improve the efficiency of the