Legal Aid and Civil Justice Council

will make provision for the levying of financial contributions in criminal legal aid, ensuring those who are able to contribute to the costs of their defence do so.

It could produce savings of between £2.5 million and £5m a year in the legal aid fund.

The Bill also seeks to establish a Scottish Civil Justice Council to replace civil rules councils, with a “wider policy role to advise and make recommendations on improving the civil justice system in Scotland”. The council was suggested by Lord Gill’s Scottish Civil Courts Review and will be key to implementing the report’s recommendations, which represent the greatest programme of Scottish civil courts reform in a century.

Controversy rating ** - although the views of other parties are not yet clear, the issue of legal aid usually leads to political rifts.