Unjust rise in personal injury claim limits
Shopworkers’ union Usdaw has urged the government to reconsider its “unjust and unnecessary legislation” after a Justice Select Committee criticised Tory proposals to raise the limit for personal injury claims dealt with in a small claims court from £1,000 to £5,000 for road traffic accident cases and to £2,000 for other (including workplace) injuries.
Unions are fighting the government plans, which they say will take away the right of injured people to have free, independent legal advice.
“We are delighted that the select committee has listened to our evidence-based campaign opposing employer and public liability claims under £2,000 being pushed into the small claims courts,” said Usdaw general secretary John Hannett. “The complexity of workplace injury cases make them entirely unsuitable for a small claims court, where the costs of taking a case cannot be recovered.”
The government is using the Civil Liability Bill, currently going through parliament, to give powers to ministers to bring in these changes through new regulations.
https://www.usdaw.org.uk/About-Us/News/2018/May/Usdaws-Justice-for-Injured-Workers-campaign-is-bac
https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmjust/659/65902.htm