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Legal Services Bill [HL]

The noble Lord, Lord Neill of Bladen, will not be surprised if I tell him that he has the full support of these Benches for his amendment. It seems to me that there is really no rush to bring in alternative business structures. Where is the pressure coming from? It is certainly not coming from any consumer association that I have heard of; it may come from certain business interests who want to fasten in on the more profitable lines in the provision of legal services. But that is no reason for not carrying out the very careful overall look at the proposals and an evaluation of their impact in the areas to which the noble Lord, Lord Neill, referred. I have said a great deal on earlier occasions about this: I need not repeat it. The noble Lord can be assured of our support.