Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of using a model of University Cum Court Annexed Arbitration for civil disputes to aid those who are unable to afford legal fees.

The Government has made no assessment of University Cum Court Annexed Arbitration. However, the Government supports early dispute resolution and it is playing a key role in the HMCTS court reform programme. For example, the Online Civil Money Claims Service has recently started piloting a new approach where claims up to £500 are automatically referred to mediation, unless both parties ‘opt out’. The results of the pilot and the impact of this approach will be evaluated.