34. Mr. Ron Brownasked the Solicitor-General for Scotland what is the current number of staff in the Crown Office.
§ The Solicitor-General for ScotlandSixty-one, Sir.
Mr. BrownCan the hon. and learned Gentleman tell us what he intends to do about the monstrous closed shop that is called the legal profession, a profession that dominates our country and represents wealth and privilege? Or do the Government depend on that profession to enforce laws such as the Employment Act and the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act? Is it not true that the Government depend on those individuals to back up the system that the hon. and learned Gentleman represents?
§ The Solicitor-General for ScotlandWe are lucky to live in a free country in which laws are enforced in open court. The hon. Member should realise that the purpose of what he calls a closed shop in the professions is to protect the clients from the people who belong to that profession. The purpose of the sort of closed shop that the hon. Gentleman favours is to protect the members of the closed shop, regardless of the public.
§ Mr. GrimondWill the Solicitor-General for Scotland say whether the figure that he gave is an increase of a decrease on previous years?
§ The Solicitor-General for ScotlandI am happy to be able to tell the right hon. Member that it represents an increase of one. In statistical terms, that is a 1.7 per cent. increase for an increased work load of 13 per cent. As I said before, that is productivity.