§ Mr. GarnierTo ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment she has made of the implementation of the civil procedure rules; what audit has been carried out of the financial consequences of implementation for the Department and202W the litigating public; and what change there has been in the number of cases conducted by litigants in person following implementation. [136293]
§ Jane KennedyOverall, the civil justice reforms are proving to be a success. A number of bodies have already provided their own independent opinion of the success of the reforms. The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) and the Federation of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) have provided helpful presentations to the Civil Justice Council. The Centre for Dispute Resolution (CEDR) commissioned MORI to conduct a poll of lawyers and some judges. In addition, Wragge & Co. (Solicitors) have provided research of FTSE 1,000 companies.
From this research it is apparent that attitudes to civil justice have improved with parties coming together earlier to discuss the case. Anecdotal evidence suggests that parties are more willing to co-operate to reach settlement and, where disputes are taken into court, the litigation is conducted in a less adversarial manner.
The Lord Chancellor's Department has just commenced its own evaluation programme, having allowed 18 months for 'bedding in' factors such as stabilisation of work load and the disposal of the majority of pre-reform cases in the system. The programme comprises academic research projects to assess the qualitative aspects of the reforms, attitudinal research through survey to obtain the views of those who use the system, and evaluation of the quantitative aspects through empirical data analysis. The programme is expected to take two years. The long-term financial consequences for the Department and for the litigating public will form part of the overall evaluation programme. Initial indications are that the number of claims commenced by litigants in person has increased since the implementation of the civil justice reforms, but it will not be possible to confirm this or come to conclusions until the overall evaluation programme is completed.