To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether her Department expects to publish details of her consultation on the small claims court process by the end of December 2006; and what the consultation period will be. (105423)

The consultation paper will be published by the end of January 2007. The intention had been to publish by the end of this year but publication of the paper has been delayed to allow the Government to give proper consideration to recommendation 54 of the Gowers Review of Intellectual Property, which was published on 6 December. The consultation period will be 12 weeks.