HC Deb 19 January 1993 vol 217 cc132-3W
Mr. Vaz

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many complaints the Lord Chancellor has received from students who have been failed on the Bar vocational course; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. John M. Taylor

As of 11 January 1992 the Lord Chancellor had received four representations from students.

The Lord Chancellor takes a keen interest in legal education and equality of opportunity in the profession. However, the independence of the legal profession precludes him from intervening in the administration of the Bar vocational examination by the Council for Legal Education. The Commission for Racial Equality is shortly to conduct an investigation into the results, with which the Council for Legal Education will be co-operating fully. In addition, the Lord Chancellor's advisory committee on legal education and conduct, which is a statutory body independent of the Lord Chancellor's Department, has received 17 representations and will be addressing this question as part of its review of legal education.

Mr. Vaz

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what review the Lord Chancellor has undertaken of the number of complaints from students dissatisfied with the way the Council of Legal Education has been conducting the course and its assessment procedures.

Mr. John M. Taylor

The legal profession is independent of Government and it would therefore not be appropriate for the Lord Chancellor to conduct any such review.

The Lord Chancellor's advisory committee on legal education and conduct, which was established by the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 as an independent body, has a duty to assist in the maintenance and development of standards in legal education, and has to have regard to the desirability of equality of opportunity when doing so. The committee is obliged under the Act to keep legal education and training under review; it launched a major review on 25 November 1992, which will address this question among others. However, the statutory independence of the committee precludes the Lord Chancellor from directing how it should discharge its duties.