At the Gazette's pre-election debate, the Lord Chancellor is reported to have said: 'There must be in the legal profession, as in other professions, some degree of competitive pricing' (see [2005] Gazette, 7 April, 18).

What other professions have competitive pricing for publicly funded work? What proposals are there to include barristers' chambers in competitive tendering? If it's good enough for solicitors, is it not good enough for barristers? Perhaps courts ought to competitively-tender for cases, maybe even police forces should competitively-tender for arrest contracts and investigation contracts and detention contracts. And why isn't there a private agency or two competing for the work that is handed to the National Probation Service or the Youth Offending Service on a plate?


Competitive tendering is daft. Shame on those firms even contemplating giving credence to this nonsense by submitting a bid. If nobody bids then competitive tendering cannot progress.


Michael Robinson, Jacqueline Emmerson Solicitors, Sunderland