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Legal Services Bill [HL]

We fully support this amendment. We do not see why an interim chief executive should be appointed who, "““may incur expenditure and do other things in the name of and on behalf of the OLC from the beginning of the first interim period””," until such time as ““the OLC determines otherwise””. That really means that all the decisions about appointment and offices can be made by a temporary chief executive. Schedule 15 sets out the membership and so on for the Office for Legal Complaints. Paragraph 21 states: "““During the initial 5 year period, the OLC must not acquire or dispose of an interest in land, except with the approval of the Secretary of State … The initial 5 year period is the period of 5 years beginning with the day on which the appointment of the first Interim Chief Executive … takes effect””." That means that the interim chief executive can buy the office and set up the staff, and nothing has to happen for five years, which is the interim period. That is wrong. Surely, when it is set up, an organisation such as the Office for Legal Complaints should choose its chief ombudsman or chief executive and that person should make the important executive decisions along the lines that I have mentioned. Therefore, this interim chief executive is a person who should not exist. We agree with the noble Lord, Lord Kingsland.