Legal Services Bill [Lords]
10:30 am
Jonathan Djanogly (Shadow Solicitor General (Also Shadow Minister for Trade and Industry), Law Officers (Assist the Home Affairs Team); Huntingdon, Conservative)
It is a pleasure to enjoy your chairmanship once again, Mr. Cook. We look forward to receiving the benefit of your guidance and perhaps forbearance during the coming weeks. I say “forbearance” because the hardest issue that we have in respect of the timing of the Committee and consideration of its programming has been the extent to which we have to go over issues that were raised in the other place. That is because, unfortunately, the Government have overturned much of the good work and most of the amendments that were agreed there.
Given the size of the Bill and the enormous knife that the Government intend to take to it through the amendments presented to us only last Wednesday, we are concerned that there has only been a week between Second Reading and Committee. That has severely curtailed the amount of time that we need to consult properly with interested parties, and has impacted unnecessarily and unfairly on our ability to do the Bill full justice in Committee. I can report that that has also been reflected in the comments made to us by interested parties. Therefore, the timing of this Committee shows a Government keen to get the Bill done and dusted before the Labour leadership change, rather than one who want to see the best Legal Services Act possible. That is unfortunate. However, having said that and given that we are where we are, I see no point in opposing the motion.