§ 35. Mr. Simon HughesWhat plans his Department has to review the supervision of solicitors; and if he will make a statement. [18013]
§ Mr. HoonThe Department has no current plans to review the arrangements for handling complaints against solicitors. The Office for the Supervision of Solicitors was established by the Law Society in September 1996 in response to public concern that the Solicitors Complaints Bureau was not sufficiently responsive to the needs of lay clients. I agree with the legal services ombudsman's last annual report, published in June 1997, which said that it will take two to three years before the office can be properly judged by results.
§ Mr. HughesI hope that during the next two to three years the Minister will not simply wait and see what happens. He must be aware that there is huge dissatisfaction with the performance of many solicitors. A Consumers Association report revealed widespread incompetence. Many of us have constituents who complain, with justification, that either they are not dealt with properly or they get very poor remedies. Can the hon. Gentleman assure the House that in this Parliament the Government will seriously consider establishing an independent inspectorate of legal services so that we can end the policing of solicitors by solicitors, headed by another solicitor?
§ Mr. HoonI am well aware that there is huge dissatisfaction with the way in which the Solicitors Complaints Bureau operated. It was felt to be doing a poor job and, as a Back Bencher, I entirely accepted that criticism. It always seemed to me that the Solicitors Complaints Bureau was finding reasons for not investigating cases instead of investigating them, but when a completely new body has been set up in a completely new way, I think it right that it should have the chance to prove that it can deal satisfactorily with complaints against solicitors. The Department will review the body's performance; when it publishes its first annual report, as it is due to do shortly, we will investigate to ensure that it reflects reality.
§ Mr. TippingDoes my hon. Friend accept that what is proposed is merely the son of the Solicitors Complaints 665 Bureau and that there is widespread discontent with the way the system operates? After he examines the annual report, will he take the time to talk to the Law Society and others to ensure that a scheme that really meets the needs of consumers is put in place?
§ Mr. HoonI am aware of the criticism; it has largely been levelled in the past against the SCB. There will be some differences, however. Under the new system, the adjudication and appeals committee will be replaced by two new standing committees. There will be a client relations committee, with a lay majority, and a professional regulation committee, with a professional majority. That should provide a different approach.
I have stated my profound dissatisfaction with the way the Solicitors Complaints Bureau operated; we want a significant improvement in the way the office operates.