§ Mr. Whitakerasked the Attorney-General whether he is aware that the proposal of the Council of Legal Education to raise fees for legal students will still further restrict the social catchment area for recruitment to the legal professions; whether the Government were consulted or approved these increases; and what proposals he has, in view of the fact that several local authorities refuse to give grants, to ensure that nobody of the required ability is prevented from training to be a lawyer because of their lack of income.
§ The Attorney-GeneralThe Senate of the four Inns of Court, which is the governing body of the Council of Legal Education, is an independent body, and the Government were not consulted about its proposals for a new scheme of education and training for the Bar. These proposals are designed to raise the standards of professional education for barristers and I have no reason to suppose that they will in any way restrict recruitment to the Bar. The proposals do not, of course, affect solicitors.
As there will be more tuition under the scheme, the education fees for Bar students will be higher than hitherto, but well within the limit normally regarded by local education authorities as reasonable for university courses.
The making of grants for training for the Bar is a matter for the discretion of local education authorities and is outside the Government's control. The Council of Legal Education understand that almost all those authorities in England and Wales to whom applications have been made are in fact prepared in suitable cases to make grants to Bar students for both tuition and maintenance. The new scheme was designed in part to increase the likelihood that such grants would be made, and it should help to ensure that nobody of the required ability is prevented from training to be a lawyer because of lack of means.