4. CHESTER BORROWS (National—Whanganui) Link to this
to the Minister of Justice
What actions has he taken to address the shortfall in funding for community law centres?
Hon SIMON POWER (Minister of Justice) Link to this
Community law centres are funded primarily by revenue from the Lawyers and Conveyancers Special Fund, which consists of 60 percent of the interest earned on solicitors’ trust accounts. However, the slowing housing market, coupled with a cut in interest rates, meant they were facing a funding cut of about 68 percent. The Government was not prepared to allow that to happen to such an important service, which is even more vital in difficult economic times. Last night I was very pleased to announce at the annual meeting of the Coalition of Community Law Centres of Aotearoa that the Government will put in place interim measures that will provide them with the same level of funding next year as they enjoyed in 2008-09. I know that many members from all parties have been approached on this issue as part of their constituency work, and I take this opportunity to thank them for their constructive approach on this issue.
What actions will the Minister take to ensure that funding of community law centres is more secure in the long term?
The Government does not want community law centres to find themselves in the same predicament again in a year’s time. In addition to the interim measure I announced last night, we have also commenced work on finding an enduring funding framework to ensure continuity of services provided by the centres. I intend to involve the Coalition of Community Law Centres of Aotearoa in this work, and I would like to thank Kevin Campbell and his team for their willingness to engage in a constructive way on this difficult issue.
Hon Lianne Dalziel Link to this
When does the Minister intend to respond to my letter of 10 February 2009, in which I proposed both the measures he announced last night; and will he accept the offer I made in that letter to work collaboratively with the Government to develop the durable solutions that are needed to ensure the long-term sustainability of the sector?