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231

 

House of Commons

 
 

Thursday 14th June 2007

 

Public Bill Committee

 

New Amendments handed in are marked thus Parliamentary Star

 

Other Amendments not tabled within the required notice period are marked thus Parliamentary Star - white

 

Legal Services Bill [Lords]


 

Note

 

The Amendments have been arranged in accordance with the Order of the

 

Committee [12th June 2007].

 


 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

267

 

Clause  4,  page  2,  line  36,  at beginning insert ‘(1)’.

 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

216

 

Clause  4,  page  2,  line  36,  leave out ‘assist in the maintenance and development’

 

and insert ‘ensure the development and maintenance’.

 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

215

 

Clause  4,  page  3,  line  1,  at end insert—

 

‘( )    

In relation to subsection (1)(b), the Board must satisfy itself that appropriate

 

standards of education and training, including training in client care, are being

 

maintained by approved regulators and, should it not be so satisfied in respect of

 

any particular education and training scheme or schemes, the Board must

 

consider withdrawal of its approval of that scheme or those schemes.’.

 



 
 

Public Bill Committee: 14th June 2007                  

232

 

Legal Services Bill [Lords], continued

 
 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

Simon Hughes

 

John Hemming

 

221

 

Clause  8,  page  3,  line  31,  at end insert—

 

‘( )    

The approval of the Lord Chancellor is required for the appointment of a person

 

to be the chairman or to be another member of the Panel.’.

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

To make the Lord Chancellor responsible for approving appointments to the Consumer Panel.

 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

208

 

Clause  8,  page  4,  line  3,  at end insert—

 

‘(c)    

corporate users of such services.’.

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

This amendment makes clear that the Consumer Panel should include representatives of corporate

 

users of legal services, as well as individuals and small businesses, and disapplies the prohibition

 

on authorised persons serving as members of the Consumer Panel so far as any representative of

 

corporate users of legal services is concerned.

 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

219

 

Clause  8,  page  4,  line  3,  at end insert ‘, and

 

(c)    

qualified but non-practising solicitors who, in their professional capacity,

 

use or purchase services provided by persons who are authorised persons

 

in relation to activities which are reserved legal activities.’.

 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

209

 

Clause  8,  page  4,  line  11,  after ‘(d)’ insert ‘save in respect of a person appointed to

 

represent corporate users of reserved legal activities.’.

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

See statement for amendment 208.

 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

220

 

Clause  8,  page  4,  line  12,  at end insert ‘, except for those authorised persons

 

referred to under subsection 4(c).’.


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 14th June 2007                  

233

 

Legal Services Bill [Lords], continued

 
 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

218

 

Clause  8,  page  4,  line  21,  after ‘appointed’ insert—

 

‘(a)    

by the Board following public advertisement and selection by the

 

prevailing standards for selection of members of public bodies and’.

 


 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

Simon Hughes

 

John Hemming

 

222

 

Clause  11,  page  5,  line  10,  after ‘Board’, insert ‘or on its own initiative’.

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

To enable the Consumer Panel to carry out research and give advice to the Board on its own ini­

 

tiative, rather than only being permitted to do so at the Board’s request.

 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

223

 

Clause  11,  page  5,  line  16,  at end add—

 

‘(4)    

In acting on its own initiative under subsection (1), the Consumer Panel shall not

 

impose any costs on any of the approved regulators.’.

 

 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

Simon Hughes

 

John Hemming

 

224

 

Clause  11,  page  5,  line  16,  at end add—

 

‘(4)    

It shall be the duty of the Board (subject to subsection (5))—

 

(a)    

to provide the Consumer Panel with all such information as, having

 

regard, in particular to the need to preserve commercial confidentiality,

 

the Board considers appropriate to disclose to the Panel for the purpose

 

of enabling the Panel to carry out their functions; and

 

(b)    

to provide the Panel with all such further information as the Panel may

 

require.

 

(5)    

The Board is not required to provide information by virtue of subsection (4)(b) if,

 

having regard to—

 

(a)    

the need to preserve commercial confidentiality, and

 

(b)    

any other matters that appear to the Board to be relevant,

 

    

it is reasonable for the Board to refuse to disclose it to the Panel.’

 


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 14th June 2007                  

234

 

Legal Services Bill [Lords], continued

 
 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

To ensure the Consumer Panel has access to the information it needs to carry out its functions,

 

which is held by the Board, subject to appropriate restrictions.

 


 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

Simon Hughes

 

John Hemming

 

210

 

Clause  12,  page  5,  line  26,  at end insert—

 

‘(ea)    

preparation of wills’.

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

To add will-writing to the list of reserved legal activities which can only be carried out by author­

 

ised persons.

 


 

Bridget Prentice

 

108

 

Clause  15,  page  7,  line  15,  at end insert—

 

‘( )    

Where P is an independent trade union, persons provided with relevant services

 

by virtue of—

 

(a)    

their membership or former membership of P, or

 

(b)    

another person’s membership or former membership of P,

 

    

do not constitute the public or a section of the public.’.

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

The effect of this amendment is that an independent trade union falls under Clause 15(4), and

 

therefore does not need to be entitled, when it carries out certain member services that are re­

 

served legal activities. The individual through whom the union carries on such services will still

 

have to be entitled.

 

Bridget Prentice

 

109

 

Clause  15,  page  7,  line  16,  after ‘(6)’, insert ‘Subject to that,’.

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

This amendment provides that orders under Clause 15(6) are subject to the provision at amend­

 

ment 108.

 



 
 

Public Bill Committee: 14th June 2007                  

235

 

Legal Services Bill [Lords], continued

 
 

Simon Hughes

 

John Hemming

 

269

 

Clause  17,  page  8,  line  22,  at end insert—

 

‘(4)    

All persons claiming to be entitled to carry on any activity which is a reserved

 

legal activity shall have a duty to make clearly known to each client, at the

 

beginning of their dealings with each other—

 

(a)    

their professional title and qualifications; and

 

(b)    

the most senior member of the firm to whom they are accountable.’.

 


 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

256

 

Clause  18,  page  8,  line  32,  at end insert—

 

‘(c)    

A body, which is not a licensable body, but which carries on a relevant

 

activity by virtue of Section [Registration of non-authorised managers]’.

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

See Members’ explanatory statement for NC14.

 


 

Bridget Prentice

 

129

 

Schedule  3,  page  130,  line  14,  leave out from ‘individual’ to ‘in’ in line 15 and

 

insert ‘whose work includes assisting’.

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

This amends paragraph 1(7)(a) of Schedule 3 in order to clarify the category of persons who, if

 

appropriately supervised, are exempt from the requirement to be authorised in order to exercise

 

rights of audience. It is intended to ensure that, for example, partners in a partnership can be ex­

 

empt.

 

Bridget Prentice

 

130

 

Schedule  3,  page  131,  line  37,  leave out paragraph (b).

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

This amendment removes paragraph 3(4)(b) from the Bill on the basis that this provision is no

 

longer necessary given the effect of amendment 131.


 
 

Public Bill Committee: 14th June 2007                  

236

 

Legal Services Bill [Lords], continued

 
 

Bridget Prentice

 

131

 

Schedule  3,  page  131,  line  39,  leave out paragraphs (d) to (f) and insert—

 

‘( )    

P is a manager or employee of a body which is an authorised person in

 

relation to the activity, and E is also a manager or employee of that

 

body.’.

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

This amendment replaces paragraphs 3(4)(d) to (f), which identify connected persons in specific

 

kinds of bodies, with a more general provision which identifies connected persons in any body

 

which is an authorised person. It will, for example, cover recognised bodies which are partner­

 

ships.

 

Bridget Prentice

 

132

 

Schedule  3,  page  133,  line  10,  leave out paragraph (b).

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

This amendment removes paragraph 4(3)(b) from the Bill on the basis that this provision is no

 

longer necessary given the effect of amendment 133.

 

Bridget Prentice

 

133

 

Schedule  3,  page  133,  line  12,  leave out paragraphs (d) and (e) and insert—

 

‘( )    

P is a manager or employee of a body which is an authorised person in

 

relation to the activity, and E is also a manager or employee of that

 

body.’.

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

This amendment replaces paragraphs 4(3)(d) and (e), which identify connected persons in specific

 

kinds of bodies, with a more general provision which identifies connected persons in any body

 

which is an authorised person. It will, for example, cover recognised bodies which are partner­

 

ships.

 


 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

Simon Hughes

 

John Hemming

 

255

 

Schedule  4,  page  142,  line  14,  leave out sub-paragraph (3) and insert—

 

‘(3)    

Alterations are exempt unless the Board has directed that they are not to be treated

 

as exempt for the purposes of this paragraph.’.

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

This amendment is designed to reverse the presumption that the advance approval of the Legal

 

Services Board should be required to changes to approved regulators’ regulatory arrangements.

 



 
 

Public Bill Committee: 14th June 2007                  

237

 

Legal Services Bill [Lords], continued

 
 

Bridget Prentice

 

110

 

Clause  23,  page  12,  line  1,  leave out ‘a’ and insert ‘an independent’.

 

 

Members’ explanatory statement

 

This amendment is part of a set of amendments that change the Bill’s references to trade unions to

 

independent trade unions, as defined in amendment 126. This amendment provides that independ­

 

ent trade unions will have the transitional protection set out in Clause 23.

 


 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

244

 

Clause  28,  page  14,  line  9,  leave out ‘, so far as is reasonably practicable,’.

 

 


 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

245

 

Clause  29,  page  14,  line  26,  leave out ‘prejudiced’ and insert ‘improperly

 

constrained or influenced’.

 

 


 

Mr Kevan Jones

 

263

 

Clause  30,  page  15,  line  8,  at end insert—

 

‘( )    

that the majority of the ordinary members of a committee that an

 

approved regulator authorises to exercise its regulatory functions are lay

 

persons.’.

 

Mr Henry Bellingham

 

Mr Jonathan Djanogly

 

Mr Tobias Ellwood

 

246

 

Clause  30,  page  15,  line  16,  at end insert—

 

‘(3A)    

When making rules under subsections (1) to (3), the Board must satisfy itself that

 

approved regulators have established organisational structures and procedural

 

practices which distinguish sufficiently clearly between their regulatory and

 

representative functions.’.

 

 



 
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