HC Deb 07 February 1940 vol 357 cc238-9W
Rear-Admiral Beamish

asked the Attorney-General whether in order to prevent more losses to the public due to defalcations by solicitors, he will take steps again to extend the area of compulsory use of His Majesty's Land Registry, and arrange that in future the Public Trustee shall be joined to all probate and other business in the conduct of which a client's money, or money's worth, is at present entrusted to a solicitor, and that the professional activities of solicitors shall be restricted to matters of law divested of the power of handling the possessions of a client without the protection of the Public Trustee?

The Attorney-General

With regard to the suggestion in the first part of the Question, I am not clear how this would assist in dealing with defalcations, but in any event it would not be practicable to make further extensions during the war. So far as the latter part of my hon. Friend's Question is concerned, I would refer him to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Salford West (Mr. Emery) on 24th January.

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