Prime Minister Tony Blair has announced that the curbing of an US-style compensation culture in the UK will be among the government’s priorities during the next parliamentary session.
In a speech given to the Institute for Public Policy (IPPR), Blair said the UK was in danger of having a wholly disproportionate attitude to the risks people should expect to run as a normal part of life.
“People are entitled to sue and often the most outlandish cases that are brought are dismissed,” he said.
“But the headlines live on and they have an after-life. They leave behind the sense that such cases are brought all the time and huge sums of money are being wasted.”
As an example of such cases, the Prime Minister referred to a case in which a man sued after being injured when he failed to apply the brake on a toboggan run in an amusement park.
The British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers & Attractions (BALPPA) has welcomed the announcement.
Colin Dawson, chief executive, said: “This is good news as we have been campaigning for a clamp down on “no win no fee” brokers for three years.
“All we want to do is to ensure that if people fail to follow safety instructions for example the responsibility doesn’t fall on the theme park.
The government will begin consultation on the bill in July 2005. The bill will contain statutory requirements for regulators to reform penalties according to risk-based principles and to reduce the administrative burden on businesses.
