BAR COUNCIL WELCOMES POSTPONEMENT OF COMPETITION REFORMS
BUT URGES SWIFT SETTLEMENT OF OUTSTANDING ADVOCATES’ FEES
The Bar Council, which represents barristers in England and Wales, has welcomed much of today’s Written Ministerial Statement published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), which has announced substantial postponement of the implementation of planned price-based competition for the Criminal Defence Service.
The Bar Council has also urged swift settlement of substantial outstanding fees owed to advocates by the Legal Services Commission (LSC).
Responding to today’s announcement, the Chairman of the Bar, Peter Lodder QC, said:
“We welcome the MoJ’s decision to postpone the consultation on Criminal Defence Service price-based competition proposals until 2013, which also postpones the prospect of introducing a new regime until 2015 at the earliest.
“This reflects the concerns that the Bar Council has raised for several years about the principles of price-based competition in the provision of these public services. The Bar has repeatedly argued for the need to maintain high quality advocacy, in the public interest, especially during this time of acute fiscal austerity and as significant changes in the provision of legal services are being made.
“We also welcome the postponement in introducing changes in scope as an opportunity for the Government to reflect further on the wisdom of what is proposed in the light of all the representations which have been made to both Houses of Parliament and the views of Parliamentarians themselves. However, we retain our principled opposition to, and will continue to lobby against, many of the proposals of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill.
“We note the delay in the abolition of the LSC but we remain very alarmed about the continuing and worsening problem of late payments of advocates’ fees. The Bar Council calls on the MoJ to ensure that the LSC is properly resourced to meet its continuing responsibilities. The Government should honour its obligation to pay members of the Bar for services they have provided – in some cases, very many years ago.
“The Government has affirmed the importance of timely payment to small businesses, but it is failing to set an example by allowing these appalling delays to continue.”
- For further information, please contact the Bar Council Press Office on 020 7222 2525.
- The full Written Ministerial Statement on Legal aid reform: competitive tendering and implementation timetable can be found here.
- The Bar Council represents barristers in England and Wales. It promotes:
- The Bar’s high quality specialist advocacy and advisory services
- Fair access to justice for all
- The highest standards of ethics, equality and diversity across the profession, and
- The development of business opportunities for barristers at home and abroad.