Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill

These events occurred long ago when I was in my solicitor phase. I was called ““Mr”” in those days. It was only when I became a barrister that I became ““Esquire””, and later I became ““learned””. These are the progressions one makes within the profession. Looking back to my early days, I think that the noble and learned Lord, Lord Woolf, is quite right: barristers were members of the panel that considered these applications. It was a perfectly satisfactory method of appeal, which was independent of the Government who were providing the funds. I envisage an independent panel to review the director’s decision, not an in-house person but people who could be referred to more cheaply than the First-tier Tribunal to which the noble Lord, Lord Bach, referred. I commend that process as opposed to the one put forward by Her Majesty’s Opposition.