§ Mr. GarnierTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the meetings(a) he and (b) the Lord Chancellor has had with Mr. Brian Raincock of Litigation Protection to discuss legal insurance. [48614]
§ Mr. HoonBoth the Lord Chancellor and I have had a number of meetings with various representatives of the insurance industry, in the context of our proposals for the expansion of conditional fee arrangements. The Lord Chancellor met representatives of the Association of British Insurers and seven insurance companies, including Mr. Raincock, on 9 December 1997. I held a briefing session for legal journalists on 31 March 1998 along with others, including Mr. Raincock, interested in the Government's reforms in this area. I also spoke at a conference on 30 June 1998 organised by Neil Stewart Associates, which was chaired by Mr. Raincock.
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§ Mr. GarnierTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he last met Mr. Brian Raincock of Litigation Protection to discuss the insurance of conditional fee arrangements. [48613]
§ Mr. HoonI have had no formal meetings with Mr. Raincock. I last met Mr. Raincock at a conference on 30 June 1998, organised by Neil Stewart Associates, which he chaired.
§ Mr. GarnierTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has made of the(a) viability and (b) integrity of Litigation Protection as a provider of conditional fee arrangement insurance. [48612]
§ Mr. HoonThe Department has a continuing dialogue with the insurance industry about developing the market in insurance products to underpin the use of conditional fees. That has not involved us in undertaking an assessment of particular products or individual providers.