Jackson: legislation introduced next spring if required
The government is set to take forward Lord Young’s proposals to extend the road traffic claims process to all low-value personal injury and clinical negligence cases, while the Jackson reforms are imminent, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) confirmed today.
Publishing its business plan and milestones for 2011-15 for consultation as part of a government transparency initiative, the MoJ said it is currently developing proposals to extend the claims process ahead of a consultation in March 2011. This will form part of a wider consultation on civil justice reforms. A final report will be published in October 2011.
Meanwhile, the business plan also said that the green paper on implementing Lord Justice Jackson’s costs reforms will be published this month. The consultation will run until February, with a plan for implementing the changes to civil litigation funding and costs published in April. If primary legislation is needed, it will be introduced in spring 2011.
The civil justice reforms will aim to promote wider use of alternative dispute resolution, including mediation, and make it easier for people to get advice and guidance. Legislation to effect them will be introduced in May 2012.
The business plan does not specify a month for the legal aid reform consultation but maintains that it will be published in autumn 2010, with legislation slated for next spring if required.
What a farce – the vast majority of RTAs fall out of the portal and as such it is a failure. Why are other claims being placed into a process that the insurers have no faith in? This is nothing but pure politics and the victims of negligence are being prevented gaining full access to justice. The corks will be popping in the insurer offices as they slap their Tory mates on the back.