The Justice Committee is launching a short inquiry into Part 5 of
the Prisons and Courts Bill on road traffic accident (RTA)
related ‘whiplash’ claims, and on Government plans to raise the
small claims limit for personal injury.
Call for evidence
The Committee invites written submissions of no more than 3,000
words in length addressing the following questions:
- · The
definition of whiplash and the prevalence of RTA-related whiplash
claims
-
· Whether or
not fraudulent whiplash claims represent a significant problem
and, if so, whether the proposed reforms would tackle this
effectively
- · The
provisions in Part 5 of the Bill introducing a tariff to regulate
damages for RTA-related whiplash claims, with an uplift in
exceptional circumstances; and banning the settlement of claims
without medical evidence.
- · The
impact of raising the small claims limit to £5,000 for
RTA-related whiplash claims, and of raising the small claims
limit to £2,000 for personal injury claims more generally, taking
account of the planned move towards online court procedures
- · The
role of claims management companies in respect of these matters.
The Committee has already taken oral evidence on this topic from
the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and the Association of
British Insurers, on 7 February 2017. The transcript of this
session and associated written submissions areavailable here.
Submissions previously made to the Government’s consultation on
RTA-soft tissue injuries can be sent to the Committee for
information (the Committee cannot accept material prepared for
other purposes as formal evidence but can refer to previously
published material in its report), or alternatively fresh
submissions can be made through the Committee’s evidence
portal for this inquiry.
The Committee intends to hold one oral evidence session following
receipt of written submissions, before preparing a report on the
subject. To enable the Committee to report during the Bill’s
passage through Parliament, it must receive submissions by Friday
31 March.
Submitting written evidence
The deadline for submissions to this inquiry
is Friday 31 March 2017.
