HC Deb 23 June 1997 vol 296 c399W
33. Mr. Barnes

To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is his Department's policy concerning the recruitment of people to the legal profession from a wider variety of social backgrounds; and if he will make a statement. [3121]

Mr. Hoon

Recruitment to the legal profession is primarily a matter for the profession itself. Both the Bar Council and the Law Society have adopted policies designed to ensure that entrance to the profession is based on merit alone. The Government believes that opportunities in the legal profession should be open to those from the widest possible variety of social backgrounds.