Personal Injury Lawyers

Debate between Lord Sheikh and Lord McNally

Thursday 7th July 2011 Lords Chamber

[Lord Sheikh]

My Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. I should like to declare that I am the chairman of an insurance broking and financial services organisation.

[The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally)]

My Lords, the Government are sympathetic to the idea of a ban on referral fees and are looking at how to tackle the issue as part of our wider reforms, and at how we could do so in a way that would be effective.

[Lord Sheikh]

My Lords, I thank my noble friend the Minister for that reply. Lord Justice Jackson’s review of civil litigation costs prescribed a reduction in fixed costs and hourly rates for solicitors, as well as a ban on referral fees. Does the Minister agree with this position, and will he indicate whether the issue will be addressed in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, which is currently in the House of Commons?

[Lord McNally]

Whether the question of referral fees will find its way into the Bill is a matter for the study that we are undertaking into ways that this could be implemented. However, we are trying to bring forward a range of the Jackson proposals in that Bill. As to referral fees, as my noble friend will be aware, the Legal Services Board and the Transport Select Committee advised a solution in terms of transparency. Lord Justice Jackson recommended a ban and, as I indicated, the Government are sympathetic to the idea of a ban.

Prisoners: Diet

Debate between Lord Sheikh and Lord McNally

Tuesday 21st December 2010 Lords Chamber

[Lord McNally]

My Lords, one of the aspects of penal policy at the moment, with longer sentences and a larger prison population, is that there is now a significant number of older prisoners who face many of the problems that my noble friend refers to. That is one of the reasons why in our Green Paper we invite a fundamental and radical look at prisons, at what they are intended to do and at how we respond to these issues.

[Lord Sheikh]

My Lords, what is being done to arrange for halal meat to be served to Muslim prisoners?

[Lord McNally]

There is a halal option for all prisoners, and Muslim prisoners take advantage of that option.