HL Deb 22 January 2003 vol 643 cc97-8WA
Lord Goodhart

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 7 January (WA 167) concerning the system of appointment of Queen's Counsel, what are the benefits which the system allegedly confers on consumers in relation to the provision of services by the legal profession. [HL975]

The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg)

The system of appointment of Queen's Counsel identifies those solicitors or barristers who demonstrate outstanding advocacy, legal and professional skills in court and are specialists in their chosen field. Solicitors who need to instruct counsel for a complex case in a specialism or jurisdiction with which they are not familiar are aided by the quality mark of QC which allows them to distinguish which advocate will be able to handle that case most effectively on behalf of their client (the consumer). Consumers who wish to seek direct access to advocacy services may well be uninformed as to who best to instruct and can be guided by the quality mark represented by Queen's Counsel status. This quality mark also enables the consumer, or solicitor, to switch to new advocates with confidence, thereby facilitating competition and helping to create an open market for providers of advocacy services.