merrion street

Minister Shatter today welcomed that the Legal Services Regulation Bill 2011 has passed Second Stage without a division in the House.

Minister Shatter said, "I welcome the completion of Second Stage without a vote in the Dáil Chamber in opposition to the Bill. I believe it is in the public interest that the principles of reform contained in the Bill be enacted and I welcome the political consensus which supports these principles. Namely, independent regulation of the legal profession; an independent complaints and disciplinary structure to determine allegations of alleged lawyer misconduct; greater transparency with regard to legal costs and a reformed independent legal costs adjudication structure and the abolition of antiquated, restrictive practices to encourage greater competition."

Minister Shatter looks forward to a productive Committee Stage and fine tuning of the Bill. He is continuing consultations and consideration of written submissions prior to finalising proposed Committee Stage amendments.

Minister Shatter’s full speech will be made available on the Oireachtas website.