Legal Aid (Financial Conditions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004

Citation, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Legal Aid (Financial Conditions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004 and shall come into operation on 12th April 2004.

(2) In these Regulations –

(a) “the Order” means the Legal Aid, Advice and Assistance (Northern Ireland) Order 1981;

(b) “personal injuries” includes any death and any disease or other impairment of a person’s physical or mental condition.

Saving and revocation

2.—(1) These Regulations shall apply to any application for legal aid where the period of computation, as defined in Regulation 1(2) of the Legal Aid (Assessment of Resources) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1981(1), begins on or after 12th April 2004.

(2) The Legal Aid (Financial Conditions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003(2) are hereby revoked save in their application to any case to which paragraph (1) does not apply.

Persons eligible for legal aid

3.  For the yearly sums specified in Article 9(1) of the Order(3) there shall be substituted –

(a) where legal aid is sought in connection with taking, defending or being a party to proceedings which include a claim in respect of personal injuries, for the yearly sum of “£9,307”, the yearly sum of “£9,475”; and

(b) in any other case, for the yearly sum of “£8,443”, the yearly sum of “£8,595”.

Contributions from persons receiving legal aid

4.  For the yearly sum of “£2,851” specified in Article 12(1)(a) of the Order(4) there shall be substituted the yearly sum of “£2,902”.

Signed by authority of the Lord Chancellor

Lord Filkin

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State,

Department for Constitutional Affairs

Dated 2nd March 2004