Legal Services Bill [HL]

My Lords, I rise almost as telegraphically as my noble friend to support this amendment, which I hope will find favour with the noble Baroness. It seems to me to be moving against the spirit of the age to rule out someone who many years ago had obtained a qualification from being able to play a very useful part as a lay member of the board if in all other respects he would seem to be a good member. In saying against the spirit of age, one can consider the position of juries. Members of the Bar and solicitors can now sit on juries whereas they could not in the past and it has turned out to be a good thing. I hope that that same spirit will apply here and the noble Baroness will see the good sense of this amendment.