Legal Services Bill [HL]

The Government have been talking to the Law Society throughout as we have put the Bill together. What looked like huge numbers of amendments were actually small, detailed changes. As the Bill goes through Committee stage in the first House, as it were, it is right and proper that we should listen to what organisations and noble Lords say about how to make it better. Although there is nothing wrong with Schedule 16, I genuinely believe that if we get suggestions to make it even better, even though we have had dialogue all the way through, we should look at those suggestions properly. It is part of the ongoing dialogue. When our proposals are introduced, I hope that noble Lords will agree that, although the amendments look huge, they are actually small, technical changes. But they do make a difference and I think that it is right to respond to them. I am grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Kingsland, for championing them.