Legal Services Bill [Lords]

The Minister may misunderstand the position herself. I have on many occasions attended tribunals where there has been a trade union official—often, I must say, expert in the law—on the other side with a right of audience. If she looks at clause 12, she will see that the reserved legal activities are set out there. They include exercising rights of audience, conducting litigation and giving legal advice in connection with any of the activities listed. Those are things that trade union officials do, and I cannot see why she would want trade unionists to have second-class status under the legislation.