Justice For Workplace Injury Victims (No. 2)

EDM number 576 in 1994-95, proposed by Jean Corston on 08/02/1995.

That this House acknowledges that over four million people suffer occupational injury or ill-health every year and that an estimated 70 per cent. of these are due to negligence by their employers; notes that in 1992 the Lord Chancellor changed the rules for cases where the sum of damages is less than ú1,000 the result of which is that legal costs cannot be awarded to the winner except in exceptional cases; believes that the consequence of this is that injury victims cannot afford the legal fees; considers that this system is unfair; takes note of a Trades Union Congress estimate that the number of cases going to trial could triple as the insurer now faces the same claims rule and for the Lord Chancellor to finish the consultation begun last autumn so as to resolve this problem, the existence of which was admitted by his Department at that time. (Relevant registered interest declared)

This motion has been signed by a total of 86 MPs, 1 of these signatures have been withdrawn.