HC Deb 25 July 1997 vol 298 cc764-5W
Mr. Mitchell

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will initiate a pilot English Public Defender Service in youth courts to parallel the experiment scheduled in Scotland. [9928]

Mr. Hoon

We have not ruled out the possibility of using employed solicitors, or solicitors under specially-designed contracts, for particular sorts of work if those would be the most suitable arrangements. We are open to the idea of using specialist employed lawyers to represent defendants in disputed cases in the youth courts. We will be watching the progress of the Scottish pilot with interest.