Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of mass legal claims against publicly funded bodies, such as the Legal Aid Agency, on (a) vulnerable consumers and (b) levels of resource available for frontline services.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

Public bodies are expected to identify material risks to vulnerable consumers or levels of resource available for frontline services, including due to any mass legal claims, and are responsible for managing their impact.

The Ministry of Justice has a partnership relationship with each of its funded public bodies that enables the body to escalate new risks as appropriate. The Department carries out an annual risk assessment of each of its public bodies, where significant upcoming risks can be identified and an assessment of the impact made.

Additionally, public bodies that receive funding from the Ministry of Justice are responsible for working collaboratively with the Department as it determines the level of funding that will be provided to them annually. Any pressures that can be predicted due to mass legal claims would be expected to be raised with the Ministry of Justice and levels of resource would be discussed with those bodies on an individual basis through existing financial allocation processes.

Other Government Departments are responsible for the assessment of risks to public bodies sponsored by them.

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking to ensure that consumers understand the contractual obligations they enter when signing digital or electronic agreements with claims management or legal services firms.

Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)

The legal and claims management sectors are regulated independently of government. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and most law firms in England and Wales, including claims management activities they undertake. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates specified claims management activities carried out by claims management companies.

The government supports the action taken by the FCA and the SRA to ensure consumers receive clear and fair information before entering digital or electronic agreements.

The FCA requires claims management firms to ensure that all digital and electronic agreements are clear, fair, and not misleading, and that customers fully understand the agreement and services before signing. FCA action on misleading online promotions led to 9,197 promotions being withdrawn by claims management firms in 2024.

The SRA requires firms to provide clear information before any agreement is entered into – including about costs, termination provisions and ensuring proper client authority – whether instructions are given in person or online.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on consumers of misleading “no win, no fee” advertising by high-volume claims firms, including instances where hidden fees or complex funding arrangements expose claimants to unexpected financial risk.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government is aware of concerns that misleading "no win, no fee" advertising can expose consumers to unexpected financial risk, including through unclear information about fees, deductions, and related funding or insurance arrangements. Whether entering into a “no win, no fee” arrangement through a legal services provider or claims management company (CMC), consumers should receive clear and timely information about what they are agreeing to.

The legal and claims management sectors are regulated independently of government. The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) is responsible for regulating the professional conduct of solicitors and most law firms in England and Wales, including claims management activities they undertake. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates specified claims management activities carried out by CMCs.

The Ministry of Justice has been working closely with relevant regulators and partners across the system, including engagement with the SRA and FCA, to understand and support action to address risks to consumers in the high-volume consumer claims market. I met with both organisations recently and impressed upon the regulators the need for tougher, more consistent regulation of conditional fee agreements.

The SRA has, and is, undertaking a range of work in this area, including ongoing investigations, a thematic review and discussion paper, requiring mandatory compliance declarations from firms operating in the high-volume consumer claims sector, consumer research, and guidance and Warning Notices for law firms. This includes action to improve how “no win, no fee” arrangements are explained, including exploring standardised wording and templates to support clearer consumer communications. The SRA will also shortly be reminding firms of their current obligations by publishing a Warning Notice relating to “no win, no fee” claims. Further information on the SRA’s work in relation to high-volume consumer claims is available at: https://www.sra.org.uk/home/hot-topics/high-volume-consumer-claims/.

The FCA has set out clear expectations for CMC marketing and customer communications, including that promotions must be fair, clear and not misleading and that “no win, no fee” advertising must include prominent information about relevant fees and termination charges. The FCA has also intervened to require misleading CMC promotions to be amended or withdrawn, and has recently written to CMCs active in motor finance claims to remind them to review their promotions and ensure compliance with FCA rules and the Consumer Duty.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department plans to introduce additional safeguards to ensure that third-party litigation funding agreements do not expose consumers to unfair financial outcomes.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

We intend to legislate to introduce proportionate regulation of litigation funding agreements when parliamentary time allows. The new regulatory framework will aim to enhance claimant protection, transparency, and the effectiveness of the litigation funding market.

The Government recognises the critical role third-party litigation funding plays in access to justice. That is why we are committed to ensuring it works fairly for all. We will outline next steps in due course.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of civil justice processes in providing effective access to justice for claimants; and if he will publish any data on the average percentage of a claimant's compensation award which is taken up by legal and third party costs.

Answered by Sarah Sackman - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The Government is committed to ensuring access to justice, and we welcomed the Justice Committee’s recent inquiry into the Work of the County Court. As the Government acknowledged in its response, the County Court faces substantial challenges. However, performance is beginning to turn a corner with good progress being made towards a more efficient, timely and digitised service; and we expect this to continue.

The Civil Justice Council (CJC) is a statutory body that advises the Lord Chancellor, the judiciary, and the Civil Procedure Rule Committee. Amongst its statutory functions, the CJC keeps the civil justice system under review and makes recommendations on, how to make the civil justice system more accessible, fair, and efficient. The CJC’s recent report into litigation funding has been critical in helping shape Government policy on improving the civil justice system.

Claimants may be able enter into a private agreement with a lawyer using a Conditional Fee Agreement or a Damages Based Agreement, or with a third-party funder using a Litigation Funding Agreement. Such agreements usually mean that a claimant will not have to pay all or part of their own legal costs unless they win their case. This payment would usually be deducted from the compensation awarded, though it could be defined as a percentage of compensation or a multiple of legal base costs, depending on the type of agreement used. Solicitors should inform their clients of any fees, and the circumstances in which their fees, or part of their fees, are payable.

The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the average percentage of a claimant’s compensation award that is taken up by legal and third-party costs.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle health inequalities impacting women.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain, to ensure people can live well for longer. Our reimagined National Health Service will tackle inequalities in both access and outcomes, as well as give everyone, no matter who they are or where they come from, the means to engage with the National Health Service on their own terms. This financial year the Department has invested approximately £53 million in direct research awards on research to support the health of women. This includes conditions that are unique to women, such as endometriosis, and health topics that are relevant to women such as violence and abuse.

Significant progress has been made towards delivering the ambitions in the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy, for example improving women and girls’ awareness and access to services and driving research to benefit women’s health, but we know there is more to do.

That is why we are renewing the Women’s Health Strategy, to assess the progress that has been made so far and to continue progressing delivery.

The renewed strategy will update on the delivery of the 2022 Women’s Health Strategy and set out how the Government is taking further steps to improve women’s health as we deliver the 10-Year Health Plan. It will also address gaps from the 2022 strategy and drive further change on enduring challenges such as creating a system that listens to women and tackling health inequalities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase access to women's health hubs.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Government is encouraging integrated care boards (ICBs) to further expand the coverage of women’s health hubs and supporting them to use the learning from the women’s health hub pilots to improve local delivery of services to women and girls.

The 10-Year Health Plan set out our ambition for high autonomy to be the norm across every part of the country. ICBs are responsible for commissioning services that meet the healthcare needs of their local population and have the freedom to do so, and this includes women's health hubs and delivering the direction of the Women's Health Strategy. The Government is backing ICBs to do this through record funding. The 2025 Spending Review prioritised health, with record investment in the health and social care system.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the recruitment and retention of staff in women’s health services.

Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

Decisions about recruitment are a matter for individual National Health Service employers, who manage this at a local level to ensure they have the staff they need to deliver safe and effective care.

The 10 Year Workforce Plan will ensure the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for patients, when they need it.

As set out in the 10-Year Health Plan, the Government is committed to making the NHS the best place to work, by supporting and retaining our hardworking and dedicated healthcare professionals.

To support this ambition, the Government plans to introduce a new set of standards for modern employment in April 2026. The new standards will reaffirm our commitment to improving retention by tackling the issues that matter to staff including promoting flexible working, improving staff health and wellbeing, and dealing with violence, racism, and sexual harassment in the NHS workplace. They will provide a framework for leaders across the NHS to build a supportive culture that embeds retention.

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Cat Smith (Chair); James Asser; Bambos Charalambous; Sir Christopher

Found: The debate is led by Bambos Charalambous MP.