Some Govt funding for legal aid office

Press, 7 May 1980, Page 14

Some Govt funding for legal aid office

PA Wellington The Government will continue to provide funds for the Grey Lynn neighbourhood law office through existing legal-aid schemes but stands by its decision to discontinue a direct grant, the Minister of Justice (Mr McLay) has said. This did not mean the office would have to close down, he said. Mr McLay said it had always been common ground that the office was providing a service for the Grey Lynn community, but the real issue was whether

the continued use of taxpayers’ funds to assist in providing the service was justified. Drawing attention to the fact that the office had already been helped by two financial grants from the Government totalling $40,000, Mr McLay said: “Now that the Grey Lynn neighbourhood law office has worked for three years it is reasonable to assume that it is no longer working on a ‘pilot basis’ and that long-term arrangements for its future would have been made by its sponsors.”