SCOLAG Urges 3 Steps to Increase Access to Justice

On 8 March 2006 SCOLAG organised a presentation to MSPs to press 3 measures designed to increase access to justice for the majority of the population in Scotland:

• Scottish Executive support for the planned development of law centres throughout Scotland;
• Scottish Executive support for increased public legal education, including the development of teaching about the Scottish legal system and legal rights and responsibilities in schools;
• changes to the legal aid system to benefit the most disadvantaged in society.

These are all matters which SCOLAG has been calling for over the past 30 years. A Background Paper explaining the history behind these issues and the reasons why SCOLAG believes these measures are necessary and would bring about substantial benefits was provided at the meeting on 8 March.

In addition, a Slideshow setting out some of the most recent developments and additional information was also presented. Both of these can be viewed by clicking on the links below. Read these now and see why its time there were major changes in how the public access legal information and legal services.

If you have any comments to make please email Robert Sutherland, convenor of SCOLAG (click).

SCOLAG_MSPBriefing         (165 kb):       The fourteen-page briefing paper in Adobe PDF format

SCOLAG_3_Steps Briefing (195 kb):        The MS PowerPoint slideshow presentation