The Law Society, Bar Council and other representative groups were granted only 15 minutes each to give evidence to the cross-party committee scrutinising the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill this week, fuelling concerns that the government is seeking to rush through the changes.
The committee charged with examining the bill, which introduces changes to legal aid, sentencing and funding of civil cases, began hearing evidence as the Gazette went to press on Tuesday.
Representative groups, including the Law Society and the Bar Council, were given about 15 minutes each to present oral evidence on the proposals.
Shadow justice minister Andrew Slaughter said the committee stage was an opportunity for close questioning on the many complex issues raised by the bill.
He said the short time given to organisations that could comment expertly on the proposals indicated that the government was ‘contemptuous’ of the experts and frightened that the ‘botched, rushed bill will be open to proper scrutiny’.
Steve Hynes, director of the Legal Action Group, said the government had underestimated the length of time required and was trying to push the bill through the Commons as quickly as possible.
But he warned that this strategy might backfire and encourage the House of Lords to take its time over debating the bill, leading to a delay.
A Law Society spokesman said: ‘We have repeatedly said that this bill is being forced through parliament in haste. The government is not listening.’
However, he added that the Society was ready to put its case in the time allotted.
Bar chairman Peter Lodder QC said he would have welcomed longer than 15 minutes, particularly as the bar’s written representations on the proposals appeared to have been largely ignored by the government.
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