Justice For Workplace Injury Victims

EDM number 348 in 1994-95, proposed by Alan Meale on 10/01/1995.

That this House congratulates the Trades Union Congress for its campaign for justice for workplace injury victims; is appalled that over four million people in the United Kingdom suffer either an occupational injury or ill health every year, with the Health and Safety Executive stating that up to 70 per cent. of such accidents occurred because of the negligence of their employers; notes that in Britain last year trades unions helped to win over ú300 million in compensation for over 25,000 of their members; is horrified that the effect of rule changes introduced by the Lord Chancellor's Department in 1992 to deny legal costs in cases where the sum of damages is less than ú1,000 has led to many workplace accident victims being unable to afford the opportunity to seek compensation or redress; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to legislate in favour of injured victims by removing personal injury litigation from the small claims rule, to introduce stiffer penalties against unreasonable delays in settlements by negligent employers and to make haste in finishing the consultation begun last autumn to seek ways of restoring the balance in favour of victims rather than large insurance companies.

This motion has been signed by a total of 85 MPs.