OpenLegislation

Legal Aid Act 1988

1988 c. 34 · Enacted 29 July 1988 · Extends to United Kingdom

Not fully up to date. 2 changes made by later legislation have not yet been written into this text, which is revised to 1 April 2013.

See the changes not yet applied
ProvisionChangeMade by
Sch. 4 para. 3(b)repealedLaw Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (Scotland) Act 1990 Sch. 9
Actmodified (prosp.)Family Law Act 1996 s. 23(8)

An Act to make new provision for the administration of, and to revise the law relating to, legal aid, advice and assistance.

[29th July 1988]

C1C2C3C4C5Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

Annotations to the whole text

Modifications

C1

Act amended (1.1.1992) by S.I. 1991/2684, arts. 4, 5, Schedule1

C2

By Criminal Justice Act 1991 (c. 53, SIF 39:1), s. 101(1), Sch. 12 para.23; S.I. 1991/2208, art. 2(1), Sch.1 it is provided (14.10.1991) that in relation to any time before the commencement of s. 70 of that 1991 Act (which came into force on 1.10.1992 by S.I. 1992/333, art. 2(2), Sch. 2) references in any enactment amended by that 1991 Act, to youth courts shall be construed as references to juvenile courts.

C3

Act modified (E.W.) (prosp.) by 1996 c. 27, ss. 23(8), 67(3) (with Sch. 9 para. 5)

Act extended (22.5.2000) by S.I. 2000/1119, regs. 1, 14, Sch. 3 Pt. 1

Act applied (with modifications) (28.8.2000) by 2000 c. 25, s. 1(2), Sch. 2 para. 8; S.I. 2000/2125, art. 2

Act applied (E.W.) (with modifications) (2.10.2000) by S.I. 2000/2227, reg. 4

C4

Act: functions of the Lord Chancellor transferred to the Secretary of State (19.8.2003) by The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs Order 2003 (S.I. 2003/1887), art. 4, Sch. 1

C5

Act: functions of the Secretary of State transferred to the Lord Chancellor (12.1.2006) by The Transfer of Functions (Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State) Order 2005 (S.I. 2005/3429), art. 3(1)(a) (with arts. 4, 5)

Contents

  1. Part I: Preliminary
  2. 1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  3. 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  4. Part II: Legal Aid Board and Legal Aid
  5. 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  6. 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  7. 5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  8. 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  9. 7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  10. Part III: Advice and Assistance
  11. 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  12. 9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  13. 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  14. 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  15. 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  16. 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  17. Part IIIA: Mediation
  18. 13A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  19. 13B. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  20. 13C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  21. Part IV: Civil Legal Aid
  22. 14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  23. 15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  24. 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  25. 17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  26. 18. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  27. Part V: Criminal Legal Aid
  28. 19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  29. 20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  30. 21. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  31. 22. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  32. 23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  33. 24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  34. 25. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  35. 26. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  36. Part VI: Legal Aid in Special Cases
  37. Care proceedings
  38. 27. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  39. 28. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  40. Contempt proceedings
  41. 29. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  42. Supplementary
  43. 30. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  44. Part VII: General and Supplementary
  45. 31. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  46. 32. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  47. 33Legal aid complaints against barristers and their exclusion from legal aid work.
  48. 34. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  49. 35. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  50. 36. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  51. 37. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  52. 38. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  53. 39. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  54. 40. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  55. 41. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  56. 42. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  57. 43. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  58. Part VIII: Miscellaneous
  59. Scottish provisions
  60. 44Scottish provisions.
  61. Supplementary
  62. 45. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  63. 46. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Repealed
  64. 47Short title, commencement and extent.
  65. Schedule 1
  66. Incorporation and Status
  67. 1Paragraph 1
  68. 2Paragraph 2
  69. Tenure of Members
  70. 3Paragraph 3
  71. 4Paragraph 4
  72. 5Paragraph 5
  73. Members’ interests
  74. 6Paragraph 6
  75. 7Paragraph 7
  76. Remuneration of members
  77. 8Paragraph 8
  78. Staff
  79. 9Paragraph 9
  80. 10Paragraph 10
  81. Proceedings
  82. 11Paragraph 11
  83. Instruments
  84. 12Paragraph 12
  85. Allowances
  86. 13Paragraph 13
  87. Schedule 2
  88. Part I: Description of Proceedings
  89. 1Paragraph 1
  90. 2Paragraph 2
  91. 3Paragraph 3
  92. 4Paragraph 4
  93. 5Paragraph 5
  94. 6Paragraph 6
  95. Part II: Excepted proceedings
  96. 1Paragraph 1
  97. 2Paragraph 2
  98. 3Paragraph 3
  99. 4Paragraph 4
  100. 5Paragraph 5
  101. 5AParagraph 5A
  102. 5BParagraph 5B
  103. 6Paragraph 6
  104. Schedule 3
  105. Part I: Orders made by a court
  106. Collecting court
  107. 1Paragraph 1
  108. Enforcement proceedings
  109. 2Paragraph 2
  110. 3Paragraph 3
  111. 4Paragraph 4
  112. Transfer of enforcement proceedings to different court
  113. 5Paragraph 5
  114. Limitations on enforcement by proceedings
  115. 6Paragraph 6
  116. 7Paragraph 7
  117. Power to defer enforcement proceedings
  118. 8Paragraph 8
  119. Interpretation
  120. 9Paragraph 9
  121. Part II: Orders made by the Board
  122. Limitations on enforcement by proceedings
  123. 10Paragraph 10
  124. 11Paragraph 11
  125. Schedule 4: Amendments of Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986 (c. 47)
  126. Part I: Direct payment of fees and outlays by legally assisted person
  127. 1Paragraph 1
  128. 2Paragraph 2
  129. 3Paragraph 3 Not yet in force
  130. 4Paragraph 4
  131. 5Paragraph 5 Not yet in force
  132. 6Paragraph 6
  133. Part II: Liability of legally assisted person for expenses to be assessed in all cases
  134. 7Paragraph 7
  135. 8Paragraph 8
  136. 9Paragraph 9
  137. Part III: Board’s property to be rateable
  138. 10Paragraph 10
  139. Schedule 5: Minor and Consequential Amendments
  140. Public Records Act 1958 (c. 51)
  141. 1Paragraph 1
  142. Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 (c. 13)
  143. 2Paragraph 2 Repealed
  144. Attachment of Earnings Act 1971 (c. 32)
  145. 3Paragraph 3 Repealed
  146. House of Commons Disqualification Act 1975 (c. 24)
  147. 4Paragraph 4 Repealed
  148. Northern Ireland Assembly Disqualification Act 1975 (c. 25)
  149. 5Paragraph 5 Repealed
  150. Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (c. 65)
  151. 6Paragraph 6 Repealed
  152. Race Relations Act 1976 (c. 74)
  153. 7Paragraph 7 Repealed
  154. Child Care Act 1980 (c. 5)
  155. 8Paragraph 8 Repealed
  156. Magistrates’ Courts Act 1980 (c. 43)
  157. 9Paragraph 9 Repealed
  158. Senior Courts Act 1981(c. 54)
  159. 10Paragraph 10 Repealed
  160. Telecommunications Act 1984 (c. 12)
  161. 11Paragraph 11
  162. Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (c. 23)
  163. 12Paragraph 12 Repealed
  164. 13Paragraph 13 Repealed
  165. 14Paragraph 14
  166. 15Paragraph 15
  167. Child Abduction and Custody Act 1985 (c. 60)
  168. 16Paragraph 16 Repealed
  169. Administration of Justice Act 1985 (c. 61)
  170. 17Paragraph 17
  171. 18Paragraph 18 Repealed
  172. 19Paragraph 19
  173. Housing Act 1985 (c. 68)
  174. 20Paragraph 20 Repealed
  175. Family Law Act 1986 (c. 55)
  176. 21Paragraph 21 Repealed
  177. Criminal Justice Act 1987 (c. 38)
  178. 22Paragraph 22 Repealed
  179. Schedule 6Schedule 6
  180. Schedule 7
  181. Preliminary
  182. 1Paragraph 1
  183. The Legal Aid Fund
  184. 2Paragraph 2
  185. Rights, obligations and property
  186. 3Paragraph 3
  187. Transfer of functions
  188. 4Paragraph 4
  189. Legal aid contribution orders
  190. 5Paragraph 5
  191. The Board: transfers of employment
  192. 6Paragraph 6
  193. 7Paragraph 7
  194. 8Paragraph 8
  195. 9Paragraph 9
  196. Pensions
  197. 10Paragraph 10
  198. Representation in affiliation proceedings: transitory provision
  199. 11Paragraph 11
  200. Schedule 8
  201. Preliminary
  202. 1Paragraph 1
  203. Regulation of charges on property
  204. 2Paragraph 2
  205. Remuneration
  206. 3Paragraph 3
  207. 4Paragraph 4