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A CLS strategy for Wales – spot the difference?
The Welsh Assembly Government and the Legal Services Commission have published a consultation paper, "Making Legal Rights a Reality in Wales", that raises more questions than it answers.
Although the Welsh Assembly Government has its name first on this document, the paper suggests that it has largely lost its battle with the Legal Services Commission to define a unique path for the CLS strategy in Wales.
CLS Direct
The Wales strategy goes beyond the strategy for England in proposing that CLS Direct be expanded to deliver "most" of the specialist legal advice in social welfare law covering housing, debt, benefits, employment and education. The paper says that the LSC will also seek to expand the service to cover family law and immigration.
CLACs and CLANs
CLACs and CLANs are intended to cover "the full range of social welfare and family law problems". The paper asks whether there should be one CLAC/CLAN covering the whole of Wales, regional CLAC/CLANs, or 22 CLAC/CLANs reflecting local authority boundaries. It states however that initial analysis suggests that the regional approach may be the most sensible and practical option.
Impact assessment
The "initial impact assessment" suggests that these developments may reduce the need for traditional face-to-face services, allowing for services to be targeted more effectively on the poorest and most disadvantaged communities and clients, although it does not give any indication as to how this might be achieved.
It goes on to say that funding for the CLS in Wales is under increasing pressure. That pressure may require the LSC to focus on initiatives that deliver cost savings quickly. The over-riding objective will therefore be to maintain or increase value for money and to reduce transaction costs wherever possible by streamlining processes and methods of delivery.
The paper acknowledges that these new approaches might prove disruptive to effective existing services. The LSC will seek to minimise the risk of this through effective consultation, piloting and other measures. However, there is no other reference in the paper to piloting any of the proposals outlined.
Overall, this paper barely seems worth the effort it took to write. It makes brief mention of Wales-specific priorities, referring to family income maximisation, refugees and migrant workers and rural access, but then proposes a strategy almost identical to that proposed for England.
Read the paper in full.
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