HC Deb 03 August 1966 vol 733 c465
42. Mr. Whitaker

asked Mr. Attorney-General if, in view of the long delay of the Inns of Court in reaching a decision on the joint education of the two legal professions, he will introduce legislation to deal with the matter.

The Attorney-General

I do not think that this is a matter which it would be appropriate to deal with by legislation. A good deal of work has been done on the problems involved and I hope that they will be resolved when the proposed Senate, a new policy-making body representing the four Inns of Court and the Bar Council, is set up.

Mr. Whitaker

Could the Attorney-General tell us how long the present deadlock has continued, what is its cause, and how much longer he will wait before he intervenes?

The Attorney-General

The discussions have been going on for some time. I am doubtful whether there is any Ministerial responsibility in this field at all. At any rate, the matter is now being dealt with, and the proposed Senate will be a more effective body for dealing with these problems than anything which presently exists.