Raised income threshold for civil legal aid to begin from Oct 1

The raised income threshold for civil legal aid and the asset threshold for both civil legal aid and criminal defence aid will come into effect from Oct 1, the Ministry of Law (MinLaw) said on Wednesday (Sept 30).

The means test criteria for civil legal aid will be raised to a per capita household income threshold of $1,650, up from $1,050.

Meanwhile, bank savings and non-CPF investments for applicants below the age of 60 will be raised from $10,000 to $12,000, while the threshold will increase from the present $40,000 to $42,000.

"Up to 1,000 more Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents are expected to benefit annually from the increased PCHI threshold for civil legal aid," MinLaw said in a statement.

Means and merit testing are applied to determine eligibility for Government legal aid.

The three most common categories of civil legal aid cases are matrimonial matters, monetary claims, and probate matters.

First announced at the ministry's Committee of Supply debate in March this year, Minister for Law Edwin Tong had said the move is part of his ministry's efforts to enhance access to justice, thereby ensuring that those most in need can have access to the legal system.

Legal aid is provided by the Government to vulnerable and lower-income Singapore citizens and permanent residents through the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB) and Public Defender's Office (PDO).

LAB provides civil aid with the support of volunteer lawyers appointed as assigned solicitors, while PDO co-delivers criminal defence aid with Pro Bono SG, which administers the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme.

The ministry added that applicants with extenuating circumstances will continue to be reviewed by an independent means test panel comprising legal and social service professionals.

律政部周三（9月30日）表示，提高民事法律援助的收入门槛以及提高民事法律援助和刑事辩护援助的资产门槛将从10月1日起生效。

民事法律援助的收入审查标准将提高到每户人均收入门槛 1650 美元，高于之前的 1050 美元。

与此同时，60 岁以下申请人的银行储蓄和非公积金投资额度将从 10,000 新元提高到 12,000 新元，而门槛将从目前的 40,000 新元提高到 42,000 新元。

“预计每年将有多达 1000 名新加坡公民和永久居民受益于民事法律援助 PCHI 门槛的提高，”律政部在一份声明中表示。

政府法律援助的资格认定依据是经济状况和个人情况。

民事法律援助案件中最常见的三类是婚姻案件、金钱索赔案件和遗嘱认证案件。

律政部长唐振辉在今年 3 月的财政预算委员会辩论中首次宣布了这一举措，他表示，这是律政部为加强司法公正所做的努力之一，旨在确保最需要帮助的人能够获得法律援助。

政府通过法律援助局 (LAB) 和公共辩护人办公室 (PDO) 向弱势和低收入的新加坡公民和永久居民提供法律援助。

LAB 在指定律师（志愿律师）的支持下提供民事援助，而 PDO 与 Pro Bono SG 共同提供刑事辩护援助，Pro Bono SG 负责管理刑事法律援助计划。

该部补充说，有特殊情况的申请人将继续由一个独立的经济状况调查小组进行审查，该小组由法律和社会服务专业人士组成。