Mr. Speaker, this is in response to a question asked by Mr. Zoe on December 1, 1992, regarding the implementation of recommendations on the legal aid system.
The legal aid system has come under review from a variety of sources over the past few years. Recommendations have been directed at the department from the "Strength at Two Levels" report, the report of the Auditor General and the report of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts.
Our immediate critical concern was controlling expenditures in times of fiscal restraint. A focal point of the restraining measures was, and is, the controlling of fees and disbursements payable to lawyers. This has been pursued aggressively. The Legal Services Board, in response to the economic situation, imposed stringent restraints during the last few months of the last fiscal year. Although those restraint measures were lifted, the economizing has continued and expenditures are within control. For the first time in years the department will not be seeking supplementary funding for legal aid fees and payments.
The Department of Justice and the Legal Services Board have been coordinating their efforts to address the future of legal aid. The department has reviewed and analyzed recommendations from various sources and developed an internal legal aid action plan. This has been presented to the Legal Services Board for review. The plan was not intended to dictate to the board, but rather to provide them with some assistance in reviewing the issues on which they have the mandate to make decisions. Some of the changes do depend upon having a full-time executive director in place. An earlier competition was unsuccessful, but a part-time person has been in place on a contract basis to keep things going. A second competition has closed and I have been advised that the interviews should be held before Christmas. The competitions for staff legal aid lawyers have also closed and it is expected that the interviews will take place before Christmas. This action was taken as a result of recommendations from the "Strength at Two Levels" report and the action plan developed by the department.
The department has also been looking at such issues as eligibility criteria, means testings and contributions. Consideration is being given to what changes could be made to the Legal Services Act and regulations.
We will be assisting the new executive director of the Legal Services Board and the board itself in whatever way we can to implement improvements to the system.
Negotiations between the department, the Legal Services Board and the Law Society are being carried out to determine a new tariff or schedule of fees payable to lawyers in private practice who do legal aid work. It is anticipated that they will conclude in the near future.
Progress is being made in the implementation of measures that will improve the legal aid system in the Northwest Territories. It is not my intention to sacrifice the quality of legal aid services in order to implement changes quickly. To get the best value for our money in the long run, I believe that the methodical implementation process that we are pursuing is warranted. Thank you.