MOTOR ACCIDENT COMPENSATION CLAIMS

That this House is deeply concerned by the pace and extent of change in the motor accident compensation claims system and in particular the proposal to raise the small claims limit from £1,000 to £5,000; acknowledges the need to cut costs in the legal system but urges the Government to ensure that this is not at the expense of innocent accident victims; believes raising the small claims limit will drastically reduce access to justice for the genuine victims of road accidents; notes that the vast number of planned changes to the claims process will fundamentally change civil litigation in the UK and alter the balance between claimants and defendants; further believes that impact assessments on the individual, piecemeal reforms are insufficient and will not demonstrate the cumulative impact of all of the changes on those seeking justice; urges the Government to reconsider its plans to raise the small claims limit until a single impact assessment has been conducted that covers all the reforms being implemented in the Jackson proposals Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 referral fee ban, introducing of ABSs and proposed extension of the RTA Portal; and calls on the Government to complete a post-implementation review of the changes and their success in reducing the number of fraudulent whiplash claims and reducing costs before seeking further, and potentially unnecessary, changes without sufficient evidence and justification.