Legal Services Bill [HL]

My Lords, as a Bishop entering a debate involving the world of lawyers and their language, I am beginning to understand what it feels like to be a lay person caught up in a theological discussion. I therefore hope that the noble and learned Lord will be patient with me and gently direct me when I get things wrong. I am speaking in the debate because the Bill gives rise to issues affecting the powers and responsibilities of the Archbishop of Canterbury. I know that the noble and learned Lord has given careful thought to these matters, so I thought it right to put something on the record. The Bill provides for the Master of the Faculties, who is responsible for the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury—an office that is combined with the Dean of the Arches and Auditor—to continue to regulate the notarial profession. This person is named as an approved regulator. I understand that the Archbishop is content for the Master of the Faculties to come within the terms of the Bill, provided that the office holder continues to exercise the regulatory role that has historically been held by that office. I further understand that the Government are content not to disturb these historic arrangements, which were established in 1533, for the appointment of the master by the Archbishops of York and Canterbury, with the approval of Her Majesty the Queen. I understand that the Government have established and agreed that the master may continue to be a member of the Church of England in line with the 1533 Act, and that, because of the character of the duties associated with this office, this does not breach the European Convention on Human Rights or the 2006 regulations on employment equality relating to religion or belief. In 1998, the Society of Scrivener Notaries was admitted as a member of the International Union of Latin Notaries—a non-governmental organisation with associations from 70 countries as its members. Before the society was admitted, the regulatory regime exercised by the Faculty Office was carefully examined. The fact that the regime is independent of government was an important element in securing admission. I gather that there is a real desire that this continues and that the Master of the Faculties continues to regulate it. We might sum this up as, ““That which is not broke should not be fixed””; in other words, we have a service that works extremely well and is cost-effective, and we have an agreement with the Archbishop’s office that it falls within the regulation of the new legal board. I simply want the Government to put on record this afternoon that my reading of this is also their reading.