Batt O'Keeffe
Ceist:40 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Justice if she intends to raise the severe imposition placed on existing Bachelor of Common Law students by the Incorporated Law Society. [2851/96]
Written Answers. - Incorporated Law Society Examination.
I take it that the Deputy is referring to the recent decisions by the Law Society in regard to the entrance examination for the Society's Law School.
I refer the Deputy to my reply to a similar question on 14 March for the background to this case. As I stated in reply to that question, I have asked the Advisory Committee on Legal Education and Training (ACLET) to consider the implications of the recent Supreme Court decision in regard to entry to the Law Society's Law School by current and future Law degree students and to make such recommendations as it sees fit in the matter. The ACLET is chaired by Mr. Justice Ronan Keane and includes representatives of the Universities, the Law Society, the King's Inns, the Higher Education Authority, IBEC, ICTU, the Union of Students of Ireland and my Department. Its functions include examining matters relating to professional legal education and making recommendations to the relevant bodies in this area.
However, since I asked ACLET to consider the matter two further sets of High Court proceedings have issued by way of plenary summons and by way of judicial review in regard to the Law Society's decisions and, accordingly, it would not be appropriate for me to comment in detail about it until those proceedings have concluded.