Yesterday we participated in a parliamentary hearing on the new legal aid law, which we are positive about. However, the proposal must be strengthened so that more people have real access to legal aid. Read our input here.

In 2024, handled Caritas Norway's legal aid team over 1200 cases in 2024 – many related to exploitation in the workplace. In the hearing to the Justice Committee in the Storting, Maria Reiten Hindahl, legal expert in Caritas Norway, on several reasons why the bill must be strengthened.  

Collection of wages

• There is a great need to introduce free legal representation in cases of wage recovery. In 2024, Caritas in over 100 cases directly related to wage theft.

• The current system rewards criminals who gain competitive advantages over legitimate businesses, while making it very difficult for victims of wage theft to obtain justice, which is destructive to a society of trust.
• Collecting wages is a demanding process, especially for immigrant workers who often lack language skills and understanding of the system.
• There is not enough legal advice. Without the opportunity to get assistance in taking legal action – such as a settlement complaint, a summons or a bankruptcy petition – many workers are effectively left without rights.
• A strong legal aid offer in this area is crucial to combat social dumping and workplace crime.

Social Services Act

• We are critical of the fact that complaints under the Social Services Act are not proposed as a priority area. This applies to people in need who have been denied the welfare society's last safety net.
  
• Our experience is that many people are unable to file a complaint on their own without legal assistance, and that NAV's guidance in this area is not sufficient.
  
• We believe that complaints under the Social Services Act must be included as a priority area in the new law.

Expulsion due to punishment

• We are very critical of the fact that deportation due to punishment is not covered by free legal advice. These are matters of great personal importance. Both UDI, UNE and the Police support a change, and Caritas stands behind this.

Caritas Norway is positive about the new legal aid law, but the proposal must be strengthened. The scheme should be broader in scope – both in terms of who it covers and which areas of law are prioritized. We also support the proposal to establish a national first-line service for legal aid.

We hope that the Storting will strengthen the proposal so that more people have real access to legal aid.