§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment he has made of(a) the benefits and (b) the disbenefits of commissioning private sector lawyers to draft legislation.
§ Mr. David HuntThe Chancellor of the Exchequer intends to conduct a pilot scheme in which private sector lawyers would draft part of the 1996 Finance Bill. The Government will assess carefully the results of this pilot to see whether the work of parliamentary counsel can usefully be supplemented in this way.