Scottish Labour MPs urge Scottish Government to guarantee equal access to justice under Hillsborough Law
Falkirk MP Euan Stainbank and eight other Scottish Labour MP's have written to First Minister John Swinney to urge the Scottish Government to ensure that families in Scotland have equal access to justice under the forthcoming Public Office (Accountability) Bill — known as the Hillsborough Law.
The MPs welcomed the Scottish Government’s decision to work with the UK Government to extend the Bill’s provisions across the UK but expressed concern that, unlike in England and Wales, the Scottish Government have not yet confirmed they will receive non-means-tested legal aid at inquiries where a public authority is an interested party.
They warn that failure to match the provision would create a gap in access to justice for bereaved Scots, contradicting the principle of accountability that the Hillsborough Law seeks to enshrine.
This means that Scots looking to access justice in a conflict against the state could be left without non-means tested legal aid on the same terms as that which will be accessed by those elsewhere in the UK.
Mr Stainbank said: “The Hillsborough Law represents a long-overdue step towards truth and justice for families failed by public authorities. It’s about ensuring ordinary people are not left to fight the system alone.
“It would be completely unacceptable if Scottish families were denied the same legal support as those in England and Wales. I urge the First Minister to confirm unambiguously that the Scottish Government will provide parity on non-means-tested legal aid in Scotland so that no bereaved family in Scotland is left behind.”