How many individual cases since the setting up of the Scottish Legal Aid Board involving (a) refusals of grants of civil legal aid, (b) ref…

Between its inception on 1 April 1987 and 31 March 1999, the Scottish Legal Aid Board has dealt with just over 310,000 applications for civil legal aid of which just over 60,000 were refused following a review of the decision; over 1 million applications for an increase in authorised expenditure under Advice and Assistance, of which approximately 110,000 were refused; and over 800,000 applications for summary criminal legal aid (including appeals) of which around 79,000 were refused following a request for a review of the decision. Solemn criminal legal aid is determined by the courts and central records of applications refused are not maintained.Records are not held on the number of representations by Members of Parliament who request that the Board's decision be reviewed. This is because the Board will only consider a formal legal application for a review or reconsideration of a decision if it comes from the applicant or their solicitor.