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Legal Services Bill [HL]

That might be one of the Government’s responses in replying to the amendment. This is a probing amendment which seeks to air what many people believe is an omission in the Bill. In promoting the amendment, I have not yet made up my mind whether the Bill ought to deal with the matter. However, as widespread concern has been expressed outside this House about the absence of a section dealing with paralegals, it is right that the issue should be aired in your Lordships' House, which is why I have done so. The noble Lord, Lord Clinton-Davis, made a perfectly valid point: one may well say that paralegals are indirectly regulated because their principals are regulated under the Bill. I do not say that that is necessarily a satisfactory answer, but it is an important component of the argument. It might be said that it is wrong that the Bill should leave unregulated such a large section of legal activity. In drafting this amendment, we tried to strike a balance, and we hope that the Minister will reflect on it accordingly. I beg to move.