§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement concerning the implementation of section 10 of the Civil Evidence Act 1995 and section 1 of the Damages Act 1996 following the recent judgments in the House of Lords on multipliers in personal injury actions. [54863]
§ Mr. HoonSection 1 of the Damages Act 1996 came into force in September 1996. The Lord Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Scotland decided not to exercise 941W the power conferred by that section until they had been able to consider what was said by the House of Lords in Wells v Wells and other pending appeals, in which opinions were delivered on 16 July. The section requires them to consult the Government Actuary and the Treasury before any exercise of the power. They are now doing so.