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<p>Legal aid for early legal advice and assistance is available, subject to means
and a merits test. Funding for advocacy at inquests may also be available via the
Exceptional Case Funding scheme, subject to means and legal criteria.</p><p> </p><p>In
January last year, we changed the regulations around inquest funding, the effect of
which meant the firm, KRW, representing the majority of the families seeking representation,
could apply for funding in this case. Legal aid was provided to KRW, effective in
the vast majority of those cases from February 2017.</p><p> </p><p>However, all firms
seeking to undertake publicly-funded cases must be accredited. In this case, it was
discovered that KRW had not obtained the accreditation, required as a condition of
the firm being granted a legal aid contract. The firm’s contract was suspended until
the accreditation was achieved.</p><p> </p><p>Accreditation was secured on the 7 December
2018 as a result the Contract suspension was lifted allowing KRW to once more receive
public funding for the majority of the families.</p><p> </p>
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