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Legal Services Bill [HL]

The noble Lord, Lord Thomas of Gresford, is quite right to ask again about the regulatory objectives. In previous debates, we have had advice from the Minister that the regulatory objectives under Clause 1 are very much for the board itself to determine. It is perfectly possible for the board to determine that regulatory objective (d) in Clause 1(1), "““promoting competition in the provision of services””," should in particular circumstances override regulatory objective (b) ““improving access to justice””. It is a very good question when the Minister refers to the regulatory objectives, accepting that she has already said that the Government have no intention of putting access to justice as number one—or indeed number two or three—but will leave the priority to the board to decide. There is a concern that access to justice may come lower down the scale compared with one of two of the other objectives. That would undermine the whole question of the alternative business structures. The noble and learned Lord, Lord Woolf, is able to speak for himself, but I think that that is what led him to say a few moments ago that there could be a devastating effect on access to justice, despite the fact that it is one of the regulatory objectives.