Amendments to the Civil Legal Aid (General) Regulations 1989

4.  After regulation 26, there shall be inserted the following regulation:—

Meeting with a mediator in family matters

26A.  Subsection (3F) of section 15 of the Act shall not apply:—

(a)where there is no recognised mediator available to the applicant or any other party to the proceedings to hold a meeting under that subsection; or

(b)where:—

(i)the applicant is likely to fulfil the conditions under which legal aid may be granted under the Act and these Regulations;

(ii)it is in the interests of justice that the applicant should, as a matter of urgency, be granted legal aid; and

(iii)an application for an emergency certificate under regulation 19 has been made..