The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) continues to insist the whiplash reforms will be implemented on April 6, despite not publishing the Civil Procedure Rules which will underpin the new regime and enable lawyers and compensators to prepare for the changes.
Matthew Maxwell Scott, executive director of the Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO), made the following comments: “An effective, fully tested portal should improve the claims process for injured people and for all consumers if the government’s promised savings emerge and are passed on. The challenge is that we seem nowhere near this outcome.
“There are no rules, no [Alternative Dispute Resolution] mechanism and none of the appropriate consumer safeguards in place. Most egregious of all is that the current plans will put up all-but insurmountable barriers to justice for children and protected parties.
“So the MoJ has a seemingly impossible amount to do in a very short period of time. It would be better for all to get this done right rather than right now.”