John Sirodcar makes reference to my review of certain CDS Direct files (see [2009] Gazette, 7 May, 11). He attributes a quote to me which is not in fact entirely correct. While John is of course in the pay of the LSC and duty bound to defend the organisation, I expected a fairer analysis of the overall picture than he chose to give.

The main point, however, is that I did not carry out an independent review of CDS Direct, as he asserts, but rather of just 10 files supplied to me by the Legal Action Group. I stand by my comments in relation to that sample – the quality was exceptional. But that does not mean the files are representative of the quality of CDS Direct as a whole. It is also important to note that we are not comparing like with like. Private practice was not treated to a guaranteed income on the back of a tender process, and those dispensing advice were not treated to fixed shift patterns in the comfort of a call centre. CDS Direct may well produce savings for the taxpayer. What we are yet to discover, however, is whether there are increased whole system costs as a result.

Andrew Keogh, Wigan,