Power of area committee to authorise expenditure
54.—(1) Where it appears to a legally assisted person’s solicitor necessary for the proper conduct of proceedings in a magistrates' court or in the Crown Court for costs to be incurred under the legal aid order by taking any of the following steps–
(a)obtaining a written report or opinion of one or more experts;
(b)employing a person to provide a written report or opinion (otherwise than as an expert);
(c)bespeaking transcripts of shorthand notes or of tape recordings of any proceedings, including police questioning of suspects;
(d)where a legal aid order provides for the services of solicitor and counsel, instructing a Queen’s Counsel alone without junior counsel; or
(e)performing an act which is either unusual in its nature or involves unusually large expenditure;
he may apply to the appropriate area committee for prior authority so to do.
(2) Where an area committee authorises the taking of any step specified in paragraph (1)(a), (b), (c) or (e), it shall also authorise the maximum fee to be paid for any such report, opinion, transcript or act.