A House of Lords committee has warned that the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill threatens the rights of access to justice and availability of legal advice to those in police custody. The Constitution Committee published a report today considering the constitutional implications of the bill, before it is debated in the Lords next week. The report raises concerns about the ?manner and extent? of the legal aid reforms, which are designed to cut ?350m from the ?2.1bn annual legal aid budget. read more