§ 2.49 p.m.
§ LORD FOLEYMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the second Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will state, in respect of the current year to date, how many complaints, excluding matters concerned with legal aid, have been made to the Law Society; in how many instances the Society has considered it appropriate itself to make an application to the Disciplinary Committee; and the average time which has elapsed between the lodging of complaints to the Society and the time when a decision has been taken by the Society itself to make an application to the Committee.]
§ THE LORD CHANCELLORMy Lords, I have no information about the number of complaints made to the Law Society in any year, or about the average interval of time referred to in the third part of the noble Lord's Question. These are not matters falling within the sphere of ministerial responsibility. In answer to the second part of the Question, applications to the Disciplinary Committee were made by the Law Society in respect of fourteen solicitors during the current year to date. In each instance a penalty was imposed on the solicitor by the Committee.
§ LORD FOLEYMy Lords, I would again thank the noble and learned Lord the Lord Chancellor.