Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reason line 1 of her Department's press release, published on 17 November 2016, announcing the consultation on whiplash reforms, uses the word could rather than will in relation to a reduction in car insurance premiums.

A consultation paper was published on 17 November and is available on gov.uk

Both the press release and the consultation paper explain that insurers are expected to pass on around £1bn per annum to their motor policy holders through reduced premiums. This is estimated to mean an average saving of approximately £40 per motor insurance policy.

The consultation closes on 6 January and the government is due to publish its response by Friday 7 April 2017. When it does it will provide information on representations received, including those relating to the proposed cap on whiplash compensation.