MESOTHELIOMA AS A CIVIL SPECIALISM

Early day motion 1349, tabled 11 January 2006 by Michael Clapham (Labour). Signed by 73 members.

That this House welcomes the expeditious processing, over the last three years, of asbestos-induced cancer cases by the introduction of a fast track system in the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court; recognises that it has dramatically reduced litigation time for both live plaintiffs and surviving relations; is concerned that this progress has been put in jeopardy by the Department for Constitutional Affairs in its consultation paper Focussing Judicial Resources Appropriately - The Right Judge for the Right Case by proposing an end to some civil specialisms including mesothelioma; and calls on the Lord Chancellor to review the proposal and recognise mesothelioma as a specialism.

Signatures by party: Labour 55, Conservative 5, Liberal Democrat 5, DUP 3, Plaid Cymru 2, Social Democratic and Labour Party 2, UUP 1.