§ 22. David Taylor (North-West Leicestershire) (Lab/ Co-op)What representations the Department has received from the legal profession on the legal products the Tesco supermarket chain plans to put on sale. [180757]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Mr. David Lammy)My Department has received no such representations, but it looks favourably on initiatives that offer people wider access to straightforward information about legal 151 issues. My Department has been in discussion for some time with retailers about the role that they might play in that process.
§ David TaylorEven experienced purchasers of professional services find it difficult to assess the quality and integrity of their lawyers. The Clementi review of the regulatory framework of legal services might sanction a supermarket approach to justice. If so, does my hon. Friend agree that although a pile-it-high, sell-it-cheap ethos might appear to offer choice and value, in reality it could lead to costly mistakes? That would be not unlike the bogus consumerism promoted by both Front-Bench teams in education and health.
§ Mr. LammyClearly, I cannot comment on David Clementi's report, which the Government asked him to produce but which will not be ready until later in the year. Of course I welcome the provision by Tesco, or any supermarket retailer, of information to consumers. That information concerns matters such as tenancy agreements, the writing of wills—something that we all want—and, for people whose family circumstances have broken down, divorce. We should wait and see what David Clementi comes up with, but also recognise that the current arrangements—which mean that the Law Society and the Bar Council are the regulator, the disciplinary body and the representative trade union—are a privilege. At the turn of the 21st century, it is a privilege that we should look into.