Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of making adjudication compulsory for claims against non-medical professionals similar to adjudication for construction disputes under the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996.

The Government is this year carrying out a post-implementation review of the costs and funding reforms introduced by Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. The review will consider costs protection arrangements (including qualified one way costs shifting) in personal injury and other cases.

The Government is supportive of alternatives to costly litigation, such as adjudication. A voluntary pilot scheme of adjudication in professional negligence claims was commenced in February 2015. Proposals are now being considered to add the scheme to the Pre-Action Protocol for Professional Negligence Disputes.