Legal Services Bill [HL]

My Lords, I rise simply in response to a matter raised by the noble Lord, Lord Carlile of Berriew, when he referred to certain categories of non-practising lawyers as being important consumers of legal services. Throughout the debates on this Bill, the Government have talked about the importance of consumer interests, which no one would deny are very important. But we have not gone as far as looking at the composition of that consumer interest. I have been told—I do not know whether it is true—that around 40 per cent of consumers of legal services are either government or local government agencies, or other public authorities that are indirectly related to government agencies. That may or may not be true, but it would be extremely interesting for your Lordships’ House if the Government were to do an analysis of the nature of the consumers of legal services. Often the Government refer to consumer interest; but it must be equally true that sometimes one consumer’s interest is not the same as another’s. Indeed, there may be occasions when consumer interests conflict.