Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to establish an ombudsman with legal powers to enforce decisions on third party personal injury claims before court proceedings are initiated.

The Government has no plans to bring forward such proposals.

It is for parties to personal injury claims to resolve their differences in the first instance, making use of pre-action protocols which put in place procedures designed to encourage earlier resolution of disputes.

Currently there is a portal for lower value road traffic accident (RTA), public liability and employer liability claims which assists in achieving settlement of disputes. In addition, the Government is introducing a new IT Platform, in April 2020, which will enable RTA claimants to communicate effectively with the at-fault insurer to progress and settle their claim during the pre-action stage.

Where disputes cannot be resolved by these means, the claimant has the option to pursue court proceedings.