The minimum salary for trainee solicitors is to catch up with increases in the retail prices index (RPI) over the next three years, it was announced last week.

The council last week agreed 600 increases in the minimum salary to 15,900 in central London and 14,200 in the rest of England and Wales from 1 August.

However, because of a freeze in the minimum from 1993 to 2000, the levels are lower than they would have been had the RPI been applied annually since 1993.

In 2000, the minimum was almost 2,500 behind where it would have been if uprated annually, but the gap has now closed to around 450.

A paper before the council said the standards board has accepted a recommendation that this be made up over three years.

The recommended minimum salary, increased to 16,680 for central London and 14,870 elsewhere, is in line with the RPI.

Meanwhile, the council approved the latest work done by the training framework review group, which has proposed a training regime that concentrates on outcomes.

Under it, the Law Society would prescribe the skills and knowledge aspiring solicitors must have, and create a system to check they have been achieved before admitting them.

At the heart of the concept is an opportunity for different pathways to qualification to develop.

The council approved a statement of 'day one outcomes' which an aspiring solicitor would be expected to have, and backed further work to develop the new regime.

It also heard that the most recent consultation on the plans showed enthusiasm for a less prescriptive regime from representative groups, but more caution from law firms, which are wary of significant changes to the training process.

Review group chairman Michael Mathews said that while the current system works well for many, there are groups for whom it does not.

Meanwhile, Richard Hegarty, chairman of the compliance board, said his board would look into allegations raised by council members that law students regularly cheat.