Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the conclusion of the Northern Ireland Department of Justice that legislative protections should be established to ensure that compensation monies paid to minors are protected for their benefit, and (2) the data from the Northern Ireland Compensation Recovery Unit that almost one in four personal injury cases in 2022 involving children did not have a legal representative for the injury party; and what steps they intend to take to ensure that minors in England and Wales involved in compensation cases have their compensation monies protected and receive legal representation.

The administration of justice in Northern Ireland is devolved and a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly. However, the Government notes that the Northern Ireland Department for Justice has proposed changes to strengthen the way that civil claims on behalf of minors are brought. No changes in this area are planned for England and Wales as children are already protected by the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR). Under the CPR a child must have a litigation friend to conduct proceedings unless the court orders otherwise, and settlements must be supported by legal advice as well as approved by the court which will direct how the money is dealt with and make a detailed assessment of legal costs payable.