The report found that constituents are increasingly seeking legal advice at MPs’ surgeries – from the survey data gathered by this project 89 per cent of problems presenting at London MP’s constituency offices were legal, and more than a third of these legal problems involved housing and almost a quarter involved immigration. The report called for better training for MPs and caseworkers on identifying legal issues, and for partnership working between constituency caseworkers with Law Centres, Citizens Advice and other advice charities and with more resources directed towards them.
You can download the full report from our website: Mind the Gap - an assessment of unmet legal need in London.
In the new Parliament the APPG on Pro Bono have now decided to merge with the APPG on Public Legal Education in order to give greater profile support and profile to these issues in the current Parliament. Recent meetings of the All Party Groups have tackled a wide number of issues including court digitisation, legal health and capability, legal insurance consumer issues, the LASPO review and legal information and rights issues connected with Brexit.
The next meeting of the APPG will be a joint meeting on September 6th with the APPG on the Rule of Law and the APPG on Legal Aid on the justice issues facing this Parliament.