Saktiandi Supaat on Public Defenders Bill
The income ceiling to qualify for criminal legal aid under the proposed Public Defender’s Office (PDO) is set at the bottom 35 per cent of households - how was this determined and is it still too low? How often will the list of excluded offences be reviewed and potentially reduced so that more people can benefit? Will private lawyers volunteering under the Law Society’s Criminal Legal Aid Scheme be allowed to tap the PDO’s precedents and knowledge to ensure minimal difference in outcomes? What were the considerations behind structuring the PDO as a department of the Ministry of Law and could concerns arise over the potential politicisation of decisions to grant or not grant aid? These were some questions raised by MP Saktiandi Supaat in Parliament on Monday (Aug 1) during the debate on the Public Defenders Bill.
The income ceiling to qualify for criminal legal aid under the proposed Public Defender’s Office (PDO) is set at the bottom 35 per cent of households - how was this determined and is it still too low? How often will the list of excluded offences be reviewed and potentially reduced so that more people can benefit? Will private lawyers volunteering under the Law Society’s Criminal Legal Aid Scheme be allowed to tap the PDO’s precedents and knowledge to ensure minimal difference in outcomes? What were the considerations behind structuring the PDO as a department of the Ministry of Law and could concerns arise over the potential politicisation of decisions to grant or not grant aid? These were some questions raised by MP Saktiandi Supaat in Parliament on Monday (Aug 1) during the debate on the Public Defenders Bill.
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