Clause 113
Legal Services Bill [Lords]
2:30 pm
John Mann (PPS (Rt Hon Richard Caborn, Minister of State), Department for Culture, Media & Sport; Bassetlaw, Labour)
I beg to move amendment No. 283, in clause 113, page 61, line 35, at end add—
‘(6) Nothing in this Part is intended to prevent an application to the Solicitors’ Compensation Fund for redress in respect of a determination by an ombudsman with which a solicitor respondent is unable or unwilling to comply.’.
As the lawyer’s friend, may I immediately correct the official record of the statements that the Opposition made? I have nothing but the highest regard for the profession, and all my intentions are deliberate ones to ensure that business goes to those of the highest regard and repute, rather than the minority who bring the profession into such great disrepute. It has been my pleasure in the past 12 months to work with some of the finest people. Mishcon de Reya, Bindman and Partners, Russell, Jones and Walker and Clifford Chance are all excellent proponents of the profession.
It is important that the record is put straight, following those previous comments, because again the vested interests are trying to categorise their attempts to hold down the regulation of their profession and somehow to counterpose those people outwith the profession as opposed to those within it. Quite the opposite: the whole point of self-regulation is that it is made to work effectively, so I propose this modest little amendment to allow the Minister the opportunity to strengthen further the Bill. She may or may not say that it is required, or she may say that it could be covered in other ways, and I wait with eager anticipation.
However, there are situations in which the course of regulation goes in one direction, but there are circumstances in which such power would be important in making the consumer, who has been done over financially, certain of redress, if redress were felt appropriate. I could cite cases to which the amendment would be relevant, but I do not want to detail them, not because of time, but because the cases are ongoing and I should not want to prejudice them. So I offer this modest little improvement to the Minister for her delectation.