Supplementary evidence from the Ministry
of Justice (FC 72)
The revised Impact Assessment mentions a budget of
£10 million for mediation. Has the Government revised the
figure of 3,300 extra mediations from the original impact assessment.
The Impact Assessments accompanying the Legal Aid
Reform Response published on 21 April 2011 estimates that the
additional spend on mediation and legal advice accompanying mediation
is likely to be around £10 million following the implementation
of the reforms. The number of additional mediations has now been
estimated to be around 10,000 per annum in steady-state. The increase
in volumes is due to an upward revision in the estimated number
of clients that may engage with the mediation process. In addition,
a higher fee of £200 for legal advice accompanying mediation
will be available for ancillary relief cases where a greater level
of work is required to draft a court order giving effect to a
mediated settlement. This fee, which could be claimed in respect
of one party in each case in addition to the £150 fee for
legal advice in support of mediation, along with the additional
mediations, has increased the estimated cost of mediation and
legal advice accompanying mediation.
June 2011
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