Ms Eilis Barry:

Absolutely, yes. We argue that there is a real need within the court structure for better information to be available to people. The website in the courts service in the UK has guides for lay litigants or for people on how to behave when they go into court. It is not only in relation to family law, but people who are desperately trying to navigate the court system by themselves call our telephone line on a daily basis. There is a real need for a co-ordinated attempt to deal with the lay litigant in order that people will have access to where they should go and what they should do. Ms Lord referred to visiting Dolphin House and her experience of not knowing what office to attend and not even knowing that the Legal Aid Board has an office in the building, where to go, what forms must be filled in, or what to ask for.