10 February 2009 Media Statement

Dalziel recognises critical funding issues facing Community Law Centres

Labour Party Justice spokesperson Lianne Dalziel today welcomed the government’s intention to find a solution to the impending Community Law Centre funding crisis.

“It is critical that Community Law Centres are able to continue their work especially in an economic downturn. This is when their workload increases, so cuts to their services are an unacceptable outcome of a reduced funding stream that is neither the fault of the centres nor the funders.”

Lianne Dalziel said that she welcomed a two pronged approach that would find a solution to address the immediate funding needs for the 2008/2009 year a longer term in-depth review of services and funding arrangements to ensure that this kind of scenario is not repeated.

“A planned review by the Ministry of Justice was deferred in 2006 when times were good and when interest earned off the Solicitors Trust accounts was significantly higher than today.

“It is no longer reasonable to continue to defer the review, but it would be equally wrong to rush it through in response to the crisis, which is why I am calling on the Government to address the short-term problem immediately, but undertake a more detailed review to find a durable solution that will survive future downturns in the economy,” Lianne Dalziel.

ENDS

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