Civil Liability Act Update

The Civil Liability Act is just the latest in a succession of legislative and budgetary constraints that have steadily made it more difficult for everyday people to access the justice system. Motorists are obviously in the firing-line this time, but the future claims landscape looks increasingly difficult for anyone unlucky enough to be injured in a car, an operating theatre or anywhere else.

The measures introduced by the Civil Liability Act are still scheduled to come into force in April 2020. A consultation on the Future Provision of Medical Reports in Road Traffic Accident related personal injury claims closed in mid-May, the submissions to which the Ministry of Justice is currently considering.

There have been few other developments announced that would indicate significant progress towards implementation.The new IT portal which will enable all claimants, including those unrepresented to process road traffic accident related injury claims under the new £5,000 small claims track limit is currently being built by a US IT firm. The fact that all claimants are to use the new system does raise questions over its overlap with the current system”.

There appears to have been no further mention of when the portal will be publicly tested, though it was originally suggested that such a pilot would take place in October this year.

Disclaimer - all information in this article was correct at time of publishing.