Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will establish a legal process by which a preliminary judgment is reached on the evidence presented at pre-trial mediation and reflected in the mediation settlement.
Any agreement reached through mediation is privileged, and any information exchanged between the mediating parties remains a private matter, unless a court orders otherwise. The Government is committed to encouraging parties to reach a resolution out of court as far as possible and it may undermine the mediation process to introduce changes to its confidential nature. Where parties apply to court with a consent order which follows on from a mediation agreement, the court already has the necessary scrutiny powers at its disposal.