Ahead of the House of Lords’ scrutiny of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Bill, Resolution, the association of 6,000 family lawyers and professionals, has warned of its potentially devastating consequences.

At the end of last year, Resolution surveyed its members who undertake legal aid work to discover the true impact of the proposals on families and children. The vast majority (87%) say that LASPO would mean that less than 25% of people they currently help would still qualify for legal aid.

The social implications would be considerable: the survey also found that 57% believe a parent risks losing contact with their child in at least half of their cases. Based on the surveyed lawyers alone, this represents well over 4,000 children.

The inevitable increase in people representing themselves in court (known as litigants in person) will add even more pressure on a court system that is facing the closure of 40% of courts and the loss of 15,000 jobs. In the experience of Resolution’s members, cases take longer when one party is representing themselves – nearly half (48%) said it takes more than twice as long.

David Allison, Chair of Resolution, commented: “We understand the need to reduce the legal aid bill along with the rest of the public sector. However, we urge the Government to reconsider other measures, such as extending the statutory charge to cover other areas of family law, to ensure that access to justice remains available for people when they need it the most.”