Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received any representations regarding the ability of legal regulators to bring prosecutions against solicitors for breaches of the law, and any proposals for that ability to be strengthened; and if so, whether they agree with those representations.

The government has not yet issued a consultation on making legal services regulators independent from their representative bodies, and will respond to the Competition and Markets Authority’s report and recommendations shortly.

The final report of the Insurance Fraud Task Force (January 2016) included a recommendation that the government should consider strengthening the enforcement powers of the Solicitors Regulation Authority. We are reviewing the position on this and considering what further action may be appropriate.