Legal Aid Traineeship Fund information: FOI release
Information request and response under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.
Information requested
1. The annual costs incurred by the Scottish Government in delivering the Legal Aid Traineeship Fund for each financial year it was delivered.
2. A breakdown of these costs, including (but not limited to):
- Salary contributions per trainee.
- Regulatory costs (e.g., Practising Certificate fees, CPD).
- Administrative or management costs associated with the fund.
3. Any additional funding or adjustments made to the fund during these years (e.g., uplifts, special grants).
4. The number of trainee places and firms supported.
5. Copies of any published reports or evaluations on the financial impact or effectiveness of the Legal Aid Traineeship Fund.
Response
I have provided all the information you requested either within this response or within the accompanying document.
In response to question 1 is provided below.
- Year 1 - £117,786.06
- Year 2 - £397,219.54
- Year 3 - £312,833.94
- Year 4 - £47,237.09
In response to question 2 is provided below.
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Rate |
Rate |
1st year |
2nd year |
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Salary costs |
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Gross Salary* |
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19,500.00 |
22,500.00 |
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Employers NI |
13.80% |
£8,722 |
1,487.36 |
1,901.36 |
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Employers Pension |
3% |
£6,032 |
404.04 |
494.04 |
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21,391.40 |
24,895.40 |
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Other costs |
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Admission |
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391.00 |
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Early admission course |
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50.00 |
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PC/roll fees - NQ |
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335.00 |
335.00 |
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SLCC |
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200.00 |
200.00 |
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TCPD* |
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717.00 |
717.00 |
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Annual costs |
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23,084.40 |
26,147.40 |
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50% split |
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11,542.20 |
13,073.70 |
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Total cost per trainee over two years |
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24,615.90 |
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Administration or management costs
- Year 1 – £14,267.70
- Year 2 – £19,810.44
- Year 3 – £11,989.36
- Year 4 - £1,677.7
In response to question 3 – there was no additional funding or adjustments made to the fund during these years (e.g., uplifts, special grants) during the duration of the Fund.
In response to question 4 - The Fund was intended to support 40 traineeships and legal aid firms across Scotland, 30 completed their traineeships.
In response to question 5 - The Report has not been published but I attach a copy for your information.
About FOI
The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.
Contact
Please quote the FOI reference
Central Correspondence Unit
Email: contactus@gov.scot
Phone: 0300 244 4000
The Scottish Government
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG