Legal Services Bill [Lords]

A further difficulty is very much evident in areas such as mine, which my hon. Friend identified. Small firms often provide the cross-subsidy that allows any sort of criminal law to take place in our magistrates courts and smaller courts. Such work is not profitable and is carried out only due to the good will of small firms. If we lose them, we will lose any hope of legal aid for criminal cases in rural areas—[Interruption.]