Legal aid cases in Beijing last year witnessed an increase of 67 per cent, reaching 2,170.

Legal assistance for suspects in criminal cases who earn a monthly salary of less than 285 yuan (US$34) or those that suffer from physical deformity or illness will receive improved legal help if and when the process is speeded up, according to Zhou Xin, vice-director of the bureau.

A draft of the Beijing Legal Assistance Regulation by the justice department, the municipal People's Congress and the municipal government has been completed, according to Zhou.

"It will enter the next step now," said Zhou, noting the draft will be submitted to the municipal government for discussion before being submitted to congress for approval. Seven districts and counties have financed the legal aid system with special funding last year, including Haidian, Tongzhou, Dongcheng, Xicheng and Xuanwu.

Meanwhile, the legal assistance system is also supported by funding from the Beijing Legal Aid Centre and a municipal special foundation, accounting for 2.2 million yuan (US$270,000), according to Meng Jingchun, deputy director of the Legal Assistance Department under the bureau.

"But there is still not a uniformed fund security system and only a small part of advantaged groups have been helped by the system," Zhou said.

At a conference yesterday, Gong Xiaobing, director of the Legal Assistance Centre under the Ministry of Justice, called for more funding for the local budget.

(China Daily April 12, 2002)