The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) has expressed their relief with the government’s decision not to increase the small claims limit from £1,000 to £5,000.
In a statement released on Thursday they also urged the insurance industry, who were pushing for the increase, to share their data on fraud with claimant representatives and welcomed the government’s encouragement for this to happen.
The statement said: “We have long said the small claims court is not the place for injured people, as they would be left unrepresented against experienced defendants. The government’s commitment to support hardworking motorists and families’ must include a commitment to ensuring that these people are still supported, not punished, if they suffer genuine injuries.
“It is a huge relief that the government is considering the consequences of its proposals, at least for the time being, and appears to have recognised that genuinely injured people would have their much-needed access to justice compromised.”
APIL has campaigned hard throughout the proposals and the Transport Select Committees whiplash inquiry to ensure that access to justice would still be available to the claimant and considering how far other decisions and reforms by the government have gone to tilt the balance in favour of the defendants this must feel like a victory.
The results of the consultation and inquiry also shows that there are other ways that the insurance and personal injury industries can tackle the number of claims being made and more importantly to stamp out fraud.
APIL has recently received praise for one of these initiatives with their back off campaign which is tackling the problem of tailgating head on through a carefully planned social media and video campaign.
Image source(s)
1. APIL; https://www.apil.org.uk/