SALC issues press statements, organises training and events, and responds to consultations on access to justice issues that are important to the non-for-profit legal advice sector, and to the communities we serve.
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SALC Welcomes Scottish Parliament Committee Report on Legal Aid
The Scottish Association of Law Centres (SALC) welcomes the recent report from the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee on the state of civil legal assistance in Scotland. The report follows a detailed inquiry that included a call for views and three evidence sessions. SALC contributed a written response, and Aaliya Seyal,…
Response to Scottish Parliament’s Call for Views for the Inquiry into Civil Legal Aid in Scotland
The Scottish Association of Law Centres (SALC) recently contributed to an important Call for Views by the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee for the Inquiry into Civil Legal Aid in Scotland. The Call for Views is part of a new inquiry which aims to explore what is and is not working within the…
The financial eligibility limits for advice and assistance need increased
The title of the Herald’s recent ‘Beyond Breaking Point: Scotland’s Legal Aid Crisis’ series reflects the reality of legally-aided lawyering in Scotland. The concerns expressed in those articles over the bureaucracy of the legal aid system, the inadequate pay rates and legal aid deserts will be familiar to those working in the sector. One problematic…
Human Rights Bill for Scotland
We responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation on a Human Rights Bill for Scotland. We expressed support for the core promise of the Human Rights Bill to incorporate key economic, social, cultural and environmental rights, which could have a transformative impact on the realisation of rights for our communities. However, we expressed disappointment at the…
Freedom of Information Reform (Scotland) Bill
We responded to the Proposed Freedom of Information Reform (Scotland) Bill, by Katy Clark MSP. This consultation invited views on proposals to update and reform freedom of information legislation in Scotland. We expressed support for greater use of freedom of information (FOI) as a tool to increase transparency, but raised concerns about how some of…
Scottish Civil Justice Council: Remote Hearings
We responded to the Scottish Civil Justice Council consultation on Mode of Attendance at Court Hearings. We shared our experience of legal practice during the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of remote hearing arrangements for our service users, highlighting specific cases in which the remote hearing rules had disproportionately disadvantaged people without access to technology…