The Government intends that the LSC will provide criminal defence services through a mixed system comprising contracted private practice suppliers and salaried defence services. It is planned that the majority of provision will be through the former group.
The overall budget for the Criminal Defence Service will not be limited. However, the LSC has an objective to control expenditure and obtain best value for money. The LSC's purpose and objectives in this area of its responsibilities are set out at Annex A to this paper.
In order to meet its objectives the LSC plans to adopt a structure of regional service and budget management within a national framework.
The LSC has created a new post of Regional CDS Manager - reporting direct to the Regional Director - within its Regional Offices. The Regional CDS Manager will have responsibility for managing CDS services and budget in his/her region in order to meet the objectives of quality, access and value for money.
The key activities will include -
ensuring the provision of services to eligible clients so as to achieve the optimum balance of access, quality and value for money through -
letting contracts with private practice lawyers;
allocating work undertaken by salaried defenders;
monitoring and managing the performance of both groups of suppliers.
managing the Regional Duty Solicitor schemes in order to -
ensure that they are providing quality services where and when required in as effective and efficient manner as possible;
ensuring duty solicitor work is undertaken by suppliers so as to achieve the optimum balance of access, quality and value for money.
working with other Criminal Justice System agencies to -
achieve the overall CJS objectives set by the Government;
to improve the performance of the CDS scheme in the region by identifying behaviours in other agencies that could be changed with positive results;
identify, and address where possible, CDS cost drivers from elsewhere in the CJS.