§ 39. Mr. Abseasked the Attorney-General what conclusions have been reached by the Lord Chancellor's Department on the rights of audience of solicitors in the higher courts in the course of its consideration of the desirability of changes in the general practice of the courts.
§ The Attorney-GeneralIt is the view of the Government that solicitors should be able to deal with certain formal or unopposed matters in any court. We have recently sought the views of both branches of the legal profession and the National Consumer Council on how this might best be achieved.
§ Mr. AbseThe collegiate of judges met on 13 January, no practice direction has emerged from the collegiate, and we have no definitive statement from the Lord Chancellor's Department. Does the Attorney-General not realise that there is widespread disquiet, however ill-founded it may be, about the belief that backstairs pressures are at work? Will the Attorney-General try to get an early announcement about the matter from the Lord Chancellor's Department, or will he prompt the judges to give the required practice direction?
§ The Attorney-GeneralA matter as important as this is a matter for consultation, as the hon. Gentleman will appreciate. In the end it comes down to looking at the public interest. That must be the key to this problem.