Commentary on Sections Part 7: Legal Aid, etc.
This Part allows rules/regulations to be made to introduce a new means test for the grant of criminal legal aid in Northern Ireland and to make further amendments to Legal Aid legislation. These include powers to enable the courts to make recovery of defence costs orders; repeal of a provision which prevents the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission from establishing or funding services under a Litigation Funding Agreement; and a number of miscellaneous amendments to legal aid legislation mainly relating to the scope of civil legal services.