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Law centres say take-up of cases is patchy |
Attempts to tackle poverty in Scotland are
being hampered because people on low incomes find it hard to gain
access to the law, it has been claimed.
The Scottish Association of Law Centres said people on
low wages often did not qualify for Legal Aid and legal costs could
be too high for them to pay.
The association has called on the Scottish Executive
to make more funding available for public legal services.
Members are due to make the call at a meeting in
Glasgow on Monday.
It is understood that in cases of eviction and
mortgage repossession, many poorer people in Scotland are being
denied access to the law.
The association is the representative organisation for
Scotland's community law centres.
The centres are run as charities and aim to tackle
unmet legal needs of those in poverty.
They specialise generally in social welfare and
housing law, refugee matters, immigration, debt, mental health,
dementia, rights of victims, education law and discrimination law.
The issue of poverty and legal access is to be
discussed at the association's annual conference.
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