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Legal Services Bill [HL]

Before the noble Baroness answers that, I hope that I may inject one more thought. Although it is true that the Government are primarily the client of solicitors employed in government service, do those solicitors not owe an independent duty to the court? They have a duty of integrity in how they give advice, which will affect the private citizen and is part of the ethos of the profession which needs to be generally overseen. Surely the noble Baroness was not suggesting that any lower or different standards applied to solicitors in the Government Legal Service than apply to any other solicitor. To that degree, I cannot see why they should be exempted. Certainly, from my deep knowledge of solicitors in the Government Legal Service, I know that they would not wish to be thought in any way less obliged to maintain high standards than any other solicitor.