§ Judy MallaberTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps he is taking to secure an improvement in the effectiveness of the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors. [121945]
§ Mr. LammyI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 23 June 2003,Official Report, column 637W, where I indicated that there is already some evidence of improvement at the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors (OSS).
To ensure this improvement continues, in March 2003, the former Lord Chancellor agreed the OSS's proposals for a challenging package of performance standards for 2003 that we expect to deliver real benefits to complainants.
Some of the targets have been increased. Complaints must be resolved speedily, but the OSS must also ensure that the standard of quality is not lowered. The OSS's proposal to ensure that the quality standards continue to improve means that the more straightforward cases will be handled quickly and effectively, but more time will be available for complex cases.
126WSome targets have been reduced for 2003 only. In 2004, they revert to their former level, and in 2005, they will exceed the former level.
However, we continue to have concerns about the age profile of cases and about the performance of the OSS in recent months. We will be monitoring the overall situation closely to see if the measures undertaken by the OSS in my answer of 23 June 2003 and the package of challenging performance targets, deliver real benefits to consumers.