North Warwickshire and Bedworth’s Member of Parliament Craig Tracey has put his support behind the Civil Liability Bill, which is designed to prevent fraudulent whiplash claims and balance the compensation system which is costing the NHS billions of pounds.
The local MP who spent 20 years as an Insurance Broker before his election said:
“During my time running my business I represented people who were buying insurance, ensuring customers received the best possible deal. When I first started whiplash claims were practically non-existent, now they are out of control and are costing every motorist through their insurance premiums.”
When the Bill came to Parliament this week Mr Tracey welcomed it and called for other MPs to support its progress into becoming law. In a speech in the House of Commons, Craig stated:
“The Bill gives us an excellent opportunity to fix the current broken system, a system that is not working for millions of motorists throughout the country. It will bring about long-overdue reforms of personal injury compensation. It will provide a fairer system for claimants, insurance customers and taxpayers by creating a more proportionate compensation system in the case of both whiplash-style claims and claims to which the personal injury discount rate is applied.”
Speaking about the current Discount Rate in the UK, which calculates how damages more serious and long-term injuries are awarded – one of the most expensive in the world – Craig Tracey commented:
“It is striking that the Government have had to set aside £6 billion extra for the NHS alone just to cover potential claims over the coming years.”
The NHS Confederation has said that “the rising cost of clinical negligence is unsustainable” and that “compensation must be balanced against the ability of society to pay.”
Reforms in the Bill would will allow for an urgent first review of the outdated way the Discount Rate is calculated, then going on to set out a sustainable long-term framework of regular and expert reviews under the expert panel every 5 years.