Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reduction in Competition Appeal Tribunal filings from 17 in 2023 to 3 in 2025 to date; and what assessment have they made of economic impact on jobs, investment, and growth in the UK’s legal services sector as a result of this reduction.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Collective actions before the Competition Appeal Tribunal provide an important route to redress for consumers that have suffered as a result of anti-competitive behaviour and play a key role in the wider competition enforcement landscape. Truly competitive markets are to the benefit of consumers, businesses, and the wider UK economy.
The operation and impact of the opt-out collective actions regime is currently subject to review, with a call for evidence having closed on 14 October 2025. Responses are currently being considered, and a consultation will be brought forward in due course once options for improvement have been identified.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the scale of the economic impact of collective action filings in the Competition Appeal Tribunal, in particular in terms of jobs, growth and inward investment in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Collective actions before the Competition Appeal Tribunal provide an important route to redress for consumers that have suffered as a result of anti-competitive behaviour and play a key role in the wider competition enforcement landscape. Truly competitive markets are to the benefit of consumers, businesses, and the wider UK economy.
The operation and impact of the opt-out collective actions regime is currently subject to review, with a call for evidence having closed on 14 October 2025. Responses are currently being considered, and a consultation will be brought forward in due course once options for improvement have been identified.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the scale of the economic impact of the third-party litigation funding sector, in particular in terms of jobs, growth and inward investment in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in access to justice and in the attractiveness of England and Wales as a jurisdiction to resolve disputes. Whilst we have not carried out a formal assessment of its precise economic contribution, we are seized of its importance to growth and the attractiveness of our legal services sector as well as the role it plays in extending access to justice. That is why we are committed to ensuring it works fairly for all. We are considering the Civil Justice Council’s recent report on litigation funding, and we will outline next steps in due course.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to offer all child victims of crime Achieving Best Evidence-compliant service and video-recorded interviews in child-friendly environments, including those outside police stations, regardless of whether they have already made complaints to police officers.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to ensuring that child victims of crime are treated with sensitivity and care throughout the criminal justice process. The Achieving Best Evidence guidance makes clear that interviews do not need take place in police stations and provides practical advice on arranging a suitable interview environment. Registered intermediaries are also available to support effective communication between the child and the police during interviews.
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that children and vulnerable adults who are victims of abuse receive the highest standard of care and support. To this end, the Ministry of Justice funds local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types, including child sexual abuse.
The Government continues to explore innovative models of support, including approaches inspired by the Barnahus model, to ensure that children and vulnerable adults in child abuse cases get the support they need.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to adopt as standard in criminal justice settings the Barnahus service approach for achieving best evidence and meeting the physical and mental health needs of children and vulnerable adults in child abuse cases.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
This Government is committed to ensuring that child victims of crime are treated with sensitivity and care throughout the criminal justice process. The Achieving Best Evidence guidance makes clear that interviews do not need take place in police stations and provides practical advice on arranging a suitable interview environment. Registered intermediaries are also available to support effective communication between the child and the police during interviews.
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring that children and vulnerable adults who are victims of abuse receive the highest standard of care and support. To this end, the Ministry of Justice funds local practical, emotional, and therapeutic support services for victims of all crime types, including child sexual abuse.
The Government continues to explore innovative models of support, including approaches inspired by the Barnahus model, to ensure that children and vulnerable adults in child abuse cases get the support they need.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to institute a review of the quality and effectiveness of services provided to children and vulnerable adults who are complainants, victims or witnesses in criminal trials.
Answered by Baroness Levitt - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Victims’ Code is statutory guidance that sets out the minimum level of service that victims of crime should receive from the criminal justice system. Witnesses who are not victims under the Code, are covered by the Witness Charter, which sets out standards of care for witnesses in the criminal justice system.
During the trial itself, the Victims’ Code includes the right for victims to make a Victim Personal Statement, the right to be given information about the trial and on the role of a witness, and the right to be given information about the outcome of the case. Recognising that certain victims are more likely to require specialised assistance, victims who are under the age of 18 at the time of the offence, as well as victims who service providers consider vulnerable or intimidated, are eligible for Enhanced Rights under the Code. This may include being offered a referral to a specialist support service, being contacted sooner after key decisions, and being assisted with accessing relevant special measures. Witnesses under the age of 18 and other vulnerable and intimidated witnesses under the Witness Charter may also be eligible for additional support during the police investigation and at trial.
We will be consulting on a new Code in due course to make sure we get the foundations for victims right.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) about the steps the CQC is taking to reduce the waiting time for (1) initial inspections, and (2) re-inspections, of healthcare providers.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has introduced additional oversight measures to ensure significant improvements are made to the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) operational performance.
The CQC is aware of the issues health and social care providers have experienced and is progressing four immediate actions and five foundational improvements, which include clearing the backlog of registration applications and making improvements to its assessment approach to enable them to complete more, and publish higher quality, assessment reports.
Action carried out to address the registration backlog includes changing the way providers apply for registration, recruiting additional registration inspectors, and streamlining the internal registration processes. The CQC’s registration team has been clearing the backlog of registration applications that are over 10 weeks old, focusing on the oldest ones first.
Action carried out to make improvements to the CQC’s assessment approach include making some changes to the internal technology systems the CQC uses to carry out assessments.
These actions will ensure the CQC is more efficient, and will lead to a reduction in the time providers wait before they receive a first inspection and rating.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Care Quality Commission about the estimated timeframe for the elimination of the backlog for registering new healthcare providers.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has introduced additional oversight measures to ensure significant improvements are made to the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) operational performance.
The CQC is aware of the issues health and social care providers have experienced and is progressing four immediate actions and five foundational improvements, which include clearing the backlog of registration applications and making improvements to its assessment approach to enable them to complete more, and publish higher quality, assessment reports.
Action carried out to address the registration backlog includes changing the way providers apply for registration, recruiting additional registration inspectors, and streamlining the internal registration processes. The CQC’s registration team has been clearing the backlog of registration applications that are over 10 weeks old, focusing on the oldest ones first.
Action carried out to make improvements to the CQC’s assessment approach include making some changes to the internal technology systems the CQC uses to carry out assessments.
These actions will ensure the CQC is more efficient, and will lead to a reduction in the time providers wait before they receive a first inspection and rating.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Care Quality Commission about improving the consistency of the quality of reports about healthcare providers.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has introduced additional oversight measures to ensure significant improvements are made to the Care Quality Commission’s (CQC) operational performance.
The CQC is aware of the issues health and social care providers have experienced and is progressing four immediate actions and five foundational improvements, which include clearing the backlog of registration applications and making improvements to its assessment approach to enable them to complete more, and publish higher quality, assessment reports.
Action carried out to address the registration backlog includes changing the way providers apply for registration, recruiting additional registration inspectors, and streamlining the internal registration processes. The CQC’s registration team has been clearing the backlog of registration applications that are over 10 weeks old, focusing on the oldest ones first.
Action carried out to make improvements to the CQC’s assessment approach include making some changes to the internal technology systems the CQC uses to carry out assessments.
These actions will ensure the CQC is more efficient, and will lead to a reduction in the time providers wait before they receive a first inspection and rating.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to reform regulatory procedures for doctors and dentists by utilising or amending powers pursuant to section 60 of the Health Act 1999.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government has been considering its priorities for professional regulation and will be setting these out shortly.