Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill

I rise to speak principally about new clause 17, which was tabled by the hon. Member for Makerfield (Yvonne Fovargue). Before I do so, I should like to comment on amendment 116. My hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh West (Mike Crockart) made a cogent case for deleting clause 12. The Minister rightly said in Committee that"““the practicalities are the greatest stumbling block, and the costs could be significant.””––[Official Report, Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Public Bill Committee, 8 September 2011; c. 437.]" My hon. Friend underlined that that had been the experience in Scotland. It is therefore clear what the Government's response should be. For the sake of clarity and succinctness, the Bill could appropriately lose clause 12.