Legal Services Bill [HL]

My Lords, I declare my interests as set out in the register, particularly my role as a partner in Beachcroft LLP, a national commercial firm of solicitors. I, too, thank the noble and learned Lord the Lord Chancellor on behalf of the Joint Select Committee for his generous words. I immediately passed them on to the members, because they did all the hard work. As their chairman, I merely had to hold the ring, so to speak. As just demonstrated by my good friend, if I may refer to him as such, the noble Lord, Lord Bach, that was quite a significant achievement because there was strong feeling on all sides. I thank the noble and learned Lord for his generous praise, which I would also like to pass on to our advisers, particularly our clerk, and the many witnesses who, at very short notice, virtually dropped everything to assist us. We are very grateful indeed. The independence of the legal profession was a huge issue for the Select Committee. As my noble friend Lord Campbell of Alloway has pointed out, at the beginning of the report—not in a press release—under the heading, "““A threat to the independence of the legal profession””," we said how concerned we were about the level of involvement of the Secretary of State in the regulation of legal services. We continued: "““It would be wrong to create any perception of government seeking to exert day-to-day control over the legal profession””." This is an important issue, which we have to get right for various reasons. I recognise that the Government have accepted a number of the Select Committee’s recommendations, for which I thank the noble and learned Lord and his colleagues. Because of the speed with which we had to deal with the Bill, we will want to raise a number of issues in Committee. I know that many members of the Select Committee will do so. We missed one or two points. The noble and learned Lord may have thought he had got away with one provision in particular: the old Clause 57(6). What is now Clause 68(6) gives the Secretary of State power to bring forward an order which, "““may modify provisions made by or under any enactment (including this Act or any Act passed after this Act), prerogative instrument or other instrument or document””." What tremendous powers he is seeking.