Clause 109
Legal Services Bill [Lords]
2:30 pm
Simon Hughes (Party President, Cross-Portfolio and Non-Portfolio Responsibilities; North Southwark and Bermondsey, Liberal Democrat)
I should like to probe a little bit further. I do not know whether there is current provision along the lines of part 5 in Scottish law or the law relating to Northern Ireland, so I do not know whether there is any arrangement in either of those two places that would make it obvious whether, for example, a company carrying on such business north of the border in the Six Counties would be likely to want to act here.
The other side of the coin is that, presumably, organisations that are mixed in terms of professional background and expertise might be up and running in other countries. Again, I do not know. Can the Minister share anything with us about whether, as of today, ABS-type organisation is possible in the Republic of Ireland, for example? Is that already legitimate and something that happens? Across the water, on the mainland of Europe, the whole system is different, with the exception of the two common-law countries of Cyprus and Malta, so we are not talking as easily and readily about other European Union countries. Are we expecting companies or business structures to practise and offer services in England and Wales and Northern Ireland or Scotland, or the whole of the British Isles? Lots of the companies that have been mentioned do so. The services offered by Tesco and the AA do not stop at Offa’s dyke, Hadrian’s wall or the Irish sea. Will other organisations act across the jurisdictional boundaries?