Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 20 May 2025
20 May 2025 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill
I thank Paul O’Kane for his question and for reminding me to get to that point, because I might have missed it.
There are consequences to amendment 42 not being agreed to. There will be no right of appeal to the Court of Session for sole solicitors or a sole solicitor business against a direction given by the Law Society of Scotland under proposed section 46A(4)(b) of the Solicitors (Scotland) Act 1980, which would have been inserted by section 86B(3). Contrast that with the right of appeal for a legal business regarding a direction under new section 46A(4) of the 1980 act.
Obviously, this has just happened, so I will have to take time to reflect. I will get back to members on the specific point in relation to amendment 42.
I ask members to support the motion in my name and to agree to the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill.
In the same item of business
The Presiding Officer (Alison Johnstone)
NPA
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-17584, in the name of Siobhian Brown, on the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill at stage 3. I w...
The Minister for Victims and Community Safety (Siobhian Brown)
SNP
I am pleased that we have completed stage 3 of the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill with so much consensus on the final amendments to the bill, j...
Tess White (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
There is huge concern that consumers have been forgotten in the bill. What is your view on that?
Siobhian Brown
SNP
I know that Tess White has become a member of the committee only recently. Throughout the bill’s passage, it has been incredibly difficult to find a balance ...
Tess White (North East Scotland) (Con)
Con
I thank all the individuals and organisations who have supported and contributed to the parliamentary passage of the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) ...
Siobhian Brown
SNP
Does Ms White appreciate the history of the bill and how matters have progressed since 2010? If the bill is not passed today, we will go back to scratch and ...
Tess White
Con
When the bill process started, there was an unacceptable situation, which the legal profession reported directly to Scottish ministers. It was absolutely abs...
Paul O’Kane (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
Tess White spoke about the challenges that the bill presents, particularly with regard to the independence of the judiciary. However, I am not sure whether s...
Tess White
Con
We are fully supportive of having an independent regulator. The regulators and the judiciary were fundamentally opposed to the approach of having a single in...
Siobhian Brown
SNP
Will the member take an intervention?
Paul O’Kane
Lab
Will Tess White give way?
Tess White
Con
I will take the minister’s intervention first.
Siobhian Brown
SNP
I am slightly confused by Ms White’s contribution. She said that the Scottish Conservatives would fully support having an independent regulator, but then she...
Tess White
Con
I am saying that, when the bill process started, the Scottish Government wanted the judiciary to report directly to ministers, which was absolutely absurd. W...
Paul O’Kane
Lab
On the theme that the member has raised, the judiciary’s concern was about maintaining its independence in the processing of complaints. Does she envisage th...
Tess White
Con
The independent regulator should report directly to the Lord President, definitely not the Scottish Government. It is to the minister’s credit that minister...
Paul O’Kane (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I am pleased to speak in the debate on behalf of Scottish Labour and confirm that we will support the bill at decision time this evening. As we have heard ...
Maggie Chapman (North East Scotland) (Green)
Green
On behalf of the Scottish Greens, I welcome the bill and thank all those who helped to bring it—at last—to stage 3. I thank my committee colleagues, the cler...
Liam McArthur (Orkney Islands) (LD)
LD
I noted the concerns that were expressed by Paul O’Kane earlier about the amount of time for which we have been considering the bill and debating it this aft...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
I call on the minister to wind up the debate. You have a very generous four minutes, minister. 17:52
Siobhian Brown
SNP
I will take a moment to reflect on the importance of the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill and the hard work that has gone into bringing it to thi...
Paul O’Kane
Lab
I am aware that the minister is in her peroration, but I am keen to get some clarity on the issue of amendments that we debated, particularly those around sa...
Siobhian Brown
SNP
I thank Paul O’Kane for his question and for reminding me to get to that point, because I might have missed it. There are consequences to amendment 42 not b...
The Presiding Officer
NPA
That concludes the debate on the Regulation of Legal Services (Scotland) Bill at stage 3.