Clause 14
Legal Services Bill [Lords]
2:45 pm
Bridget Prentice (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Justice; Lewisham East, Labour)
I just want to make the Committee aware that the penalties are consistent with those in the Compensation Act 2006 in respect of regulated claims management. Criminal convictions are a matter of public record and in that sense would be available to all. I cannot go as far as the hon. Gentleman has asked me to and guarantee that the relevant information would be available or that people could see on a website whether a person has the right to carry out a reserved legal activity. However, that matter runs parallel with another that he raised earlier, about people being able to know when they walk through the solicitor’s door what individuals do. People can check their solicitor’s credentials by going to the Law Society’s website. It maintains a list of all solicitors that are properly qualified. This part of the Bill extends that provision to cover everyone involved in the new framework.