‘The common thread that underpins the Legal Services Board’s work is the consumer,’ the LSB declared in its business plan. With this in mind, it is presently recruiting a chair and members for its consumer panel, which the board says will have ‘considerable scope to advise and influence the LSB from the consumer perspective’.

Part critical friend, part watchdog’s watchdog, the panel will need a strong chair and a significant degree of autonomy if it is to make a real difference.

One is not encouraged by the fact that panel members will need to commit to just 10-15 days a year, for which they will be paid a relatively modest £260 per day. How much can they really achieve in so short a time?

Bear in mind that they are charged with scrutinising a £15bn industry in the public interest. At Ofcom, LSB chair Dave Edmonds’ old stamping ground, consumer panel members commit to up to one day a week, for which they get nearly £13,000 a year. The Ofcom panel’s chair gets £30,000 for committing to up to six days a month. The LSB panel chair will get £15,000 for up to two and a half days a month.

It’s the same story in financial services – consumer panel members at the Financial Services Authority make a far greater time commitment and are paid significantly more.

Of course, times are hard – as Mr Darling spelled out yesterday.

And candidates for the LSB roles will have more noble motives for applying than filthy lucre, of course. Yet one is forced to conclude that, in Whitehall at least, the consumer interest is deemed to be far more of a priority in the communications sector than in the legal sector. Which makes little sense, to me at least.