---

Legal Services Bill [HL]

I am beginning to work out very easily where a vote is coming on Report. I do not think that there are a million miles between us on this. I did not really pick up the point made by the noble Lord, Lord Maclennan of Rogart, and I apologise for that. The point that I was trying to make to the noble and learned Lord, Lord Lyell, was that you could not have something absolute whereby there were never circumstances of any kind in which this could apply. In the Bill, we have tried to create opportunities to waive, reduce or change and so on. I am perfectly happy to see whether there is a kind of upside-down approach that says, ““Well, in general you’d want to do this, unless””. The problem with the word ““unless”” is that one has to try to list the circumstances that might apply. But I shall be happy to look at that, and I am not so foolish or unsupple as to know that my ambition is always to find a way through with legislation, rather than end up with something on which I am voted down. So, with further apologies to the noble Lord, Lord Maclennan, I say again that I will look at the matter. I have no idea whether it is workable in terms of legislation or in terms of those with policy responsibility, but I was trying to make the point that fairness is important.