Ms Jane O'Sullivan:

I think that probably goes back to a point that was made earlier by Ms Wall that a civil legal aid system should not be limited in terms of area of law but rather by a person's need for legal assistance. The Deputy gives the example of someone going to the small claims court but the case snowballs which has an impact throughout their lives. I recall one person who came to a clinic who was living in a family hub and was in difficulty with their mobile phone provider. This was having a disproportionate impact on that person's situation and was affecting their child's access to education because the person was not able to focus on making sure that was fulfilled. Those areas of law do disproportionately affect the communities we work with, people facing disadvantage. The Deputy is absolutely right that representation and advice at that early stage is vital, no matter what the area of law.