Lord Dyson, Master of the Rolls and the head of civil justice, has said that the UK’s perceived ‘compensation culture’ is not representative of the reality in the courts.
Lord Dyson, in an unusually outspoken speech, emphasised that the courts have not ‘lowered the hurdles’ for claimants and pointed out that claimants must establish a duty of care, breach of that duty, causation and loss. He commented that the courts adopt a ‘robust common-sense approach’ to claims for compensation, and that the courts approach was not indicative of the existence of a ‘compensation culture’.
Lord Dyson, the second most senior judge in England and Wales said that lawyers must do all that they can to ‘explode the false perception of compensation culture’.
Tom Jones, head of policy at Thompsons Solicitors said: “We have repeatedly said over a long period of time that Britain’s so-called ‘compensation culture’ is a myth.
“Every government study and now one of the most senior judges in the UK has said that there is no ‘compensation culture’ in the UK and everyone apart from the insurers and the journalists who swallow their stories and stats agree that the myth is extremely damaging to victims of injury. If it puts anyone off from pursuing a claim for compensation it blocks access to justice.
“We have long-campaigned against the car insurance companies’ shameful tactics, falsely preaching about a non-existent claims culture and making victims of road traffic accidents feel like criminals for pursuing a compensation claim.
“The fact of the matter is our courts have robust measures in place to ensure only genuine claims lead to a settlement. This message must be communicated above the powerful voices of insurers who promote a false ‘compensation culture’ to justify ludicrous price hikes and scare away victims from pursuing legitimate claims.”
