Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether she has had recent discussions with Lawtech UK on the feasibility study for an SME online dispute resolution platform.

In 2021, LawtechUK delivered a feasibility study for the development of an online platform that could assist smaller businesses in recovering unpaid debts. The study demonstrated how the platform could be established and become financially self-sustaining. It set out a business case for potential developers and estimated that the platform, if built, could support the resolution of 200,000 disputes over a five-year period, accounting for £3.4 billion in debt value.

The intention of the study was not for LawtechUK or Government to fund or develop the platform itself but was aimed at raising awareness of the issue and encourage innovative developers to build and finance the technology. The current phase of LawtechUK does not have any plans to revisit this issue at present.