In an attempt to speed up civil litigation matters, the limit on small claims is to be increased to £10,000. Kenneth Clarke has today put forward plans to redirect approximately 80,000 more cases to the small claims mediation process. These matters can be dealt with over the telephone.

Once this new system has been evaluated, the small claims limit could be raised further to £15,000. High Court cases will also be reviewed and in order to free up time, only complex cases will be heard in these courts. The High Court will also see limits being raised from £25,000 to £100,000 for non-personal injury matters. They will also only deal with equity matters if the property in question is valued at £350,000 or more, the current value stands at £30,000.

Kenneth Clarke has said that many find the court system intimidating and often do not think the process is worth the expense and time. He hopes to make it so individuals feel comfortable making a claim as cheaply and quickly as possible.

However, the chairman of the Association of Costs Lawyers, Iain Stark has said that the government have not discussed the extra expenses that these changes will incur. ' It is effectively asking solicitors to undertake the same work at £25,000 as they would have for £10,000 - quite simply, it can’t be done by true professionals.'