Access to justice for all

Director and RMC Lead Andrew Greenwood discusses the news of delays to reforms on our Justice system, fraudulent claims, and access to justice for all.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s inaugural speech on 13 July 2016 covered important issues such as fighting social injustice. She cited examples including; those that are born poor tend to die, on average, nine years earlier than others; members of the public that are black tend to be treated more harshly by the criminal justice system than those that are white; people educated at state schools tend to be less likely to take employment in top professions than those educated privately.

However, her speech went on to say that “…When we pass new laws, we will listen not to the mighty, but to you.” It struck me as odd that a Government that has danced to the tune of the insurance industry for a number of years would listen to the ‘ordinary people’ of Great Britain. That same Government had the audacity to call a claim of £25,000 a ‘low value’ case.

So, yesterday’s news that the Government was delaying the introduction of reforms to our Justice system (which would have prevented people from claiming compensation) was received well.

From a cynical point of view, one might say that this Government has far too much on its plate without trying to push these reforms through Parliament. On the other hand, perhaps we are seeing a new Government which genuinely will ignore the ‘mighty’ and listen to the ‘ordinary people’.

Of course, the insurance industry will point to the myth of fraudulent claims driving up insurance premiums. However, I have yet to see any evidence to suggest this, and George Osbourne’s suggestion that preventing people from making a claim would prevent fraudulent claims can only be described as stating the obvious.

It will be interesting to see if this Government actually does stop listening to the voice of the ‘mighty’ and instead concentrates on the important issue of access to justice for all.

For more information on any of the issues above, call our Review My Claim team on 0113 264 4414 for a free, initial consultation.