Clause 98
Legal Services Bill [Lords]
1:45 pm
Bridget Prentice (Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Ministry of Justice; Lewisham East, Labour)
Thank you, Sir Nicholas, for that clear explanation of the quaint but important rules of Committee. It means promotion for my hon. Friend the Member for Stafford, and rightly so—[Hon. Members: “Hear hear.”]— a week early, in this case.
I need not delay the Committee. The hon. Member for North Southwark and Bermondsey is right. Fairness on both sides is crucial. The board and the approved regulators must act fairly and proportionately, and that applies to employees within the system as well as to consumers. Those working within the system are consumers, too, but in a slightly different sense. I can give him the assurance that the regulatory objectives and the duties under clauses 3 and 28 should ensure that the board and the authorities behave fairly towards everybody with whom they interact.