§ 30. Mr. Tony McWalter (Hemel Hempstead)What representations he has received on the conduct of professional examinations by (a) the Law Society and (b) the Bar Council. [87544]
§ The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (Mr. Keith Vaz)In the last year, the Department has received one letter from my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mr. McWalter) on behalf of his constituent, complaining of an individual instance of inadequate administration of the Bar vocational course. The legal practice course and the Bar vocational course are conducted by approved providers, rather than directly by the professional bodies.
§ Mr. McWalterI thank my hon. Friend for his answer, but is he aware that the case that I raised with his Department concerned someone who had failed an examination marginally because she had been sent an erroneous examination paper? When she appealed against the decision, she was asked on what ground she was appealing. As failure to administer the examination properly was not deemed to be a possible ground for appeal, she had to find some other ground, which made the case for the appeal somewhat convoluted.
I should be grateful for an assurance from my hon. Friend that the legal bodies will possibly allow appeals on the basis of failure by those bodies themselves to conduct their affairs in a satisfactory manner—however rare such failures may be.
§ Mr. VazI know of the case that my hon. Friend has described. His constituent must be very frustrated and distressed, because she failed to get on to the course in question by only one mark. I know what it is to lose by only one, having lost a European selection by just one vote. I believe that my hon. Friend the Member for Thurrock (Mr. Mackinlay) was also contesting the seat.
§ Mr. Andrew Mackinlay (Thurrock)We was both robbed!
§ Mr. VazI am trying to find the person concerned to thank them for not voting for me.
Ministers have no say in the way in which such papers are marked, but I spoke to Mr. Niall Morrison, chief executive of the Bar Council, this afternoon. If my hon. Friend will send me the papers relating to the case, I will send them to Mr. Morrison, who has promised to look into the case for me.