article_snippet: But in April 2013 the Legal Aid, Sentence and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 ( LASPO) came into force.
article_snippet: the Legal Aid, Sentence and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 ( LASPO) removed legal aid from private law children proceedings and 'at a stroke, 63 years of state funding of cases such as this was swept away,' said The judge.
article_snippet: An Ministry of Justice spokesman said: 'Legal aid is a vital part of our justice system but resources are not limitless.
article_snippet: At the time legal aid reform began not only had this Government inherited an unprecedented financial crisis but our legal aid bill was one of the most expensive in the world at around £2billion a year. '
article_snippet: We want to make sure family cases happen in the least divisive way possible, which is why We encourage people to use mediation and other out of court options that we know are less stressful and confrontational than going to court - and as a result are often more successful. '
article_snippet: It's for this reason We've significantly increased mediation funding and also recently announced new measures to give better support to those who decide to go to court and represent those who decide to go to court and represent themselves. '
article_snippet: In some cases, though, court clearly is the only answer which is why, even after reform, we will still have one of the most generous legal aid system at around £1.5 billion a year.'