The General Manager of LSANI is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the agency, as well as the leadership and management of its employees. The CEO also currently holds the statutory position of Director of Legal Aid Case Work (Director). The Director works under departmental direction and direction to determine whether requests for civil legal services should be funded. The Director is independent of any ministerial or ministerial interference with individual requests for civil legal services. In the annual report, the Director expressly expresses his opinion on the implementation of this independent decision-making function. The Legal Services Branch provides legal representation for all public and social health services in Northern Ireland, including the Belfast, North, South, West and South East Health and Social Care Trusts, the NI Ambulance Service Trust, the Business Services Organisation, the Health and Social Care Board and the Public Health Agency. The Agency consists of two main directorates; Corporate Services and Operations. In addition to the direct impact of the current situation on our legal practice, we also try to highlight the position of our clients. In a recent case, Justice Keegan noted that the case in question «involved the significant expenditure of scarce resources by the Department of Health and the Department of Health in times of crisis.» In this context, we ask all our colleagues in the legal profession for your leniency in this time of need. We recognise, of course, that urgent cases and emergencies must be dealt with in accordance with the directives issued by the Lord Chief Justice, but more routine work involving HSC bodies must inevitably take a back seat at the moment. The Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland (LSA NI) was established under the Legal Aid and Coroners` Courts (NI) Act 2014 to manage the provision of publicly funded legal aid. All members of the Board of Directors are required to adhere to the seven principles of public life.
The Public Prosecutor`s Office (PPS) participates as an observer. All NI government lawyers employed in GLSNI organizations are individual members for the duration of their employment. The LSANI Board of Directors (the Board) oversees the work of LSANI. His role is to lead the Department`s strategic planning and assist the Ceo, who is also the accounting officer, in fulfilling the Agency`s corporate governance responsibilities. The Board of Directors follows best practices in corporate governance. Many of you will have seen the video posted over the weekend by the Belfast Trust`s respiratory team, which captures the pressure our clinical colleagues at HSC are facing in the face of this pandemic. The Board of Directors acts as a collegial forum under the direction of the Chair of the Board of Directors to manage the management of the Agency. Legal aid policy is determined by the Minister.
However, the Board may discuss policies in the context of the analysis of operational management and implementation options. In the policy area, the Management Board acts in an advisory and advisory capacity and provides guidance where necessary. At a time of extraordinary and unprecedented pressure on our health and wellness systems, clinical and social health professionals, as well as those in high-level decision-making positions, are focused on protecting all our citizens. In fact, many HSC staff, including perhaps us, could be used for other tasks within the health system to support these efforts. For the benefit of our family and that of your families, we want to ensure that these professionals can focus as much as possible on this essential work. The Legal Services Agency Northern Ireland (LSANI) was established on 1 April 2015 as an executive agency within the Department of Justice (DoJ) following the dissolution of the Northern Ireland Legal Services Commission (NILSC). Our office is now closed and we will now be working from home in a very limited capacity. However, our access to our normal IT systems can be severely limited due to the high demand for remote access to the HSC-IT network.
In addition, a representative of the Department attends meetings of the Board of Directors. The Legal Department of the Office of the Lord Chief Justice (OLCJ) participates as an observer. Legal Services Agency (Northern Ireland) is an executive agency sponsored by the Department of Justice (Northern Ireland). As an Agency of the Ministry, the Northern Ireland Legal Services Agency (LSANI) operates under a framework document. The framework document sets out the modalities for the effective governance, funding and functioning of LSANI.