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Criminal Defence Service Bill [HL]

I am most grateful for that. I shall look with interest at the matter. As I understand it, we are unlikely to reach a review stage until after the Recess. I hope that there will be an opportunity for considerable clarification. On the question of appeals against eligibility, I certainly see that it looks as though it would be much easier to dispose of the issue administratively with nothing more than a simple review. However, I think that is only on the face of it, and in reality serious decisions will need to be taken on eligibility. There will be, as there were in the past, important decisions that raise issues of law and, indeed, contested points of fact. Therefore, it would in practice be undesirable to distinguish between appeals on merits and, at least in a number of cases, appeals on eligibility. That being so, although I shall ask the leave of the Committee to    withdraw the amendment today, unless the Government come up with something that is plainly satisfactory and fully meets our points, this is something that I shall bring back on Report. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.