§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what checks are undertaken by the Legal Services Commission on the competence of solicitors who claim to specialise in(a) divorce, (b) probate, (c) asylum, (d) family law, (e) property and (f) medical negligence. [93090]
§ Ms Rosie WintertonGenerally probate cases will not be publicly funded but cases in the other categories may well be.
Since 1 April 2001, all publicly funded legal service suppliers, whether solicitor firms or not for profit agencies, have had to hold a quality mark before being awarded a Legal Services Commission (LSC) contract. All solicitor suppliers for specialist legal services must hold the Specialist Quality Mark (SQM). The SQM focuses, in respect of individual competence, on supervision, training, and file review processes, and requires supervisor solicitors to be accredited to category specific qualifying panels as evidence of competence. The LSC conducts regular quality mark audits to ensure suppliers meet the required standard. The LSC also conducts cost compliance audits to check that public funds claimed by a supplier are being used appropriately.
These audits enable the LSC to take appropriate measures to deal with poor quality work, including cost reductions and, in extreme cases, removal of the contract.