Clause 49
Legal Services Bill [Lords]
6:15 pm
Bridget Prentice (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Justice; Lewisham East, Labour)
My noble Friend Baroness Ashton has had discussions with colleagues in the Lords. I cannot say for sure whether the discussions wentinto the detail of the difference between the two amendments, but it was accepted that they would be happy to see an amendment if it gave general force to the principle behind the original one. We have now worded things in a way that provides the components necessary for the board to be able to set out the policy statements on how much it takes into account its oversight role, and the principle that the issues that should be resolved informally are resolved informally, using proportionality as the test before exercising the other powers.
As always, the amendment has gone before our consumer panel, which supported this wording rather than the one that appeared in the other place. As far as I am aware, it has also gone some way to addressing the Law Society’s concerns. We have tried to ensure that people who had issues with the amendment have had sight of where we are moving.