§ Lord Acknerasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the reasons for the Lord Chancellor's continuing delay in coming to a decision whether to accept or reject the advice given by the Lord Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Legal Education and Conduct, pursuant to the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990, on 21st June 1995, to the effect that the Law Society's application for authorisation to grant extended rights of audience in the High Courts to employed solicitors could be incompatible with the proper and efficient administration of justice and should therefore not be approved.
§ The Lord Chancellor (Lord Mackay of Clashfern)The Law Society's application to award rights of audience to solicitors in employment raises complex and contentious issues. The deliberations upon the application, in the light of advice received from both my Advisory Committee on Legal Education and Conduct and the Director General of Fair Trading, are inevitably taking some time to complete.