§ Mr. GarnierTo ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment he has 79W made of the current availability of (a) contingent and (b) after-the-event insurance to cover conditional fee arrangements. [R] [74764]
§ Mr. HoonThe discussions I and my officials have had with the insurance industry have clearly shown us that the provision of legal expenses insurance, both before the event and after the event, is diverse and considerable. Insurance aimed specifically at conditional fee agreements is almost exclusively after-the-event insurance, and the principal providers of insurance to underpin conditional fee agreements are well known. There is an increasing interest for insurance to underpin conditional fee agreements for proceedings other than personal injury cases. There are several well-known products in relation to personal injury cases, including the product developed jointly with the Law Society. All the indications are that good cases have no difficulty in obtaining insurance and that the market is maturing with the experience of nearly three and half years of operation. My officials keep in regular contact with the industry.