The number of claimants getting legal aid to help with social security appeals has plummeted by 99.5% as a result of massive cuts to the legal aid budget.
Figures produced by the government show that the 83,000 claimants received legal help in 2012-13, before the cuts came in. This plummeted to a tiny 440 claimants in the last financial year.
It means that whilst the DWP have invested massively in presenting officers to represent the department at personal independence payment hearings, claimants are left to fight alone.
The Ministry of Justice have announced that they will carry out a review of legal aid cuts, but stress that they still intend to focus on saving money rather than giving equal access to justice.
