Time limits preventing victims of domestic violence from obtaining legal aid for court hearings will be scrapped from January, the Ministry of Justice has announced. The heavily criticised restrictions, which have resulted in large numbers of women confronting abusive ex-partners without representation, will also be relaxed to accept evidence from victim support organisations. The changes deliver on signals that the system would be reformed given by the MoJ and revealed by the Guardian earlier this year. Confirming the new guidelines for the Legal Aid Agency, the justice minister, Dominic Raab, said: “We have listened to victims’ groups and carefully reviewed the criteria for legal aid for victims of domestic abuse in family cases. “These changes make sure that vulnerable women and children get legal support so their voice is properly heard in court.”
Read more: Owen Bowcott, Guardian, http://bit.ly/2ih17Li
