§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans he has to implement the recommendation by Lord Justice Steyn, chair of the Lord Chancellor's advisory committee on legal education and conduct, that prospective solicitors and barristers should undertake an initial joint vocational course; and how many representations he has received, and from whom, concerning Lord Justice Steyn's recommendation.
Mr. John M. TaylorNo recommendation about joint vocational training for barristers and solicitors has been made by Lord Justice Steyn or the Lord Chancellor's advisory committee on legal education and conduct. The Lord Chancellor and I await the results of the advisory committee's review into legal education, which will be completed in September 1995, with interest.
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the percentage of students taking(a) the legal practice course/Law Society finals and (b) Bar finals who were in receipt of (i) full assistance and (ii) partial assistance from their local education authority for the payment of the course fees for each of the last 10 years.
Mr. John M. TaylorThe Lord Chancellor's Department does not collect these figures. However, from information provided by the Council of Legal Education and the College of Law, it appears that the position is as follows:
Council of Legal Education1 Year Full fees per cent. Part fees per cent. 1989–90 47 20 1990–91 46 16 1991–92 29 19 1992–93 14 26 1993–94 6 14 1 The current vocational course replaced the old style Bar finals course in the academic year 1989–90. 593W
College of Law1 Percentage of fees paid by local authorities2 Year Per cent. 1989–90 64 1990–91 57 1991–92 35
Year Per cent. 1992–93 23 1993–94 9 1 The Law Society only has information on students at the College of Law and not those studying for the vocational stage at other institutions. The College of Law provides approximately 65 per cent. of all places on the legal practice course. 2 Information was not available on the breakdown between payment of full and partial fees, only on the total percentage of fees payable by local education authorities.
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what research his Department has undertaken into the impact on(a) women and (b) members of the ethnic minorities of the non-availability of mandatory grants for the fees for the requisite vocational courses for those wishing to become barristers or solicitors; and if he will publish this research.
§ Mr. BoatengTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what research his Department has done into the correlation between the non-availability of mandatory grants for the fees for the requisite vocational courses for prospective lawyers and the level of representation of women and members of the ethnic minorities among(a) Queen's Counsel and (b) the judiciary.