§ Mr. AmessTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the adequacy of self-regulation by solicitors in respect of the treatment of fraud; and what assessment he has made of the impact of self-regulation on(a) the number of firms operating and (b) the number of claims against law firms. [22147]
Mr. John M. TaylorI do not consider that the self-regulation by the Law Society in respect of the treatment of fraud is inadequate. The solicitors' profession functions independently of Government and it is the responsibility of the Law Society to maintain standards of conduct within the profession. The Law Society's statutory powers to deal with complaints about solicitors, including the investigation of fraud, have been delegated to the Solicitors Complaints Bureau. The SCB has responded to the apparent increase in fraud by increased fraud investigation work, including an increased number of inspections of solicitors' firms. The Law Society co-operates fully with other regulatory and Government bodies involved in combating fraud. It keeps under review the effectiveness of its response to the problem of fraud.