Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The amendment provides for a change in terminology from "code of conduct" to "code of practice". This is an outcome of further consideration of the Bill with the Parliamentary Counsel. There are various codes currently applied in respect of the legal professions and we have to comprehend them in the Bill. For example, under the new and independent professional conduct regime, reliance would be placed on such codes where they may prove to be of relevance. In amendment No. 1 the relevant definition is in the form of a simple and linked reference to section 20, which is one of the sections we will consider later under a separate amendment. It is intended in adopting this amendment and the one to follow that the Bill will distinguish between the two codes governing the practice and behaviour of the legal professions. The code of practice in this amendment will be the new code published by the legal services regulatory authority under section 20. The parallel professional codes will be defined by amendment as those codes drawn up by the Law Society of Ireland and the Bar Council of Ireland. The point is to distinguish those drawn up by the regulatory authority and the professional bodies.

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