a further highly contentious recent issue has been brought about by the passing of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPOA) 2012. This is partly designed to introduce significant reductions in the scope of civil legal aid, including that for judicial review. It has been described by opponents, including the President of the Supreme Court, Lord Neuberger (in a highly critical televised BBC interview in March 2013), as a means of reducing access to justice and effectively strengthening the power of the state in relation to the individual.