Tuesday, March 6, 2012

More people to get access to free legal aid

Receiving free legal aid here could become easier once the Law Ministry completes a review of the service.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Law Sim Ann said in Parliament yesterday that the Law Ministry will be presenting amendments to Parliament by the middle of the year.

Replying to Mr Edwin Tong of Moulmein-Kallang GRC, Ms Sim said that the ministry had taken into consideration MP's suggestions, such as excluding life insurance policies when deciding if someone is qualified for legal aid.

She added that the ministry is also looking at revising the income criteria.

The last legal aid was revised in 2007.

Besides making free legal help more accessible, the ministry will also be reviewing its funding for the Law Society's Pro Bono office, said Ms Sim.

This is among some of the measures aimed at encouraging lawyers to do more pro bono work.

During the opening of the legal year in January, the Chief Justice outlined the need to encourage pro bono work among lawyers and to make it a mandatory component of legal education.

Ms Sim said that the ministry will also expand its Legal Aid Steering Committee, which is tasked to rallying the legal community to do more pro bono work.

"These initiatives will help foster a greater spirit of giving within the legal profession and improve access to justice," said Ms Sim.

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