The quarterly data from the government’s Compensation Recovery Unit, which detail the number of personal injury claims made in the previous quarter, never fail to make for interesting reading.
The latest set, for the third quarter of this calendar year - i.e. 1 July 2024 to September 2024 - was received by ACSO following a Freedom of Information request, and is no exception.
Most strikingly, they reveal the lowest level of motor injury claims ever, with the 76,678 cases registered well below the previous low – perhaps unsurprisingly captured in the previous quarter – and 11 per cent below the equivalent quarter in 2023. This reflects the continuing impact of the government’s whiplash reforms, as well as the cumulative effect of other measures taken in recent years.
While the other categories were broadly stable, there was a curious increase in the number of public liability claims, up 25 per cent on the same quarter last year and 32 per cent on the previous quarter. Do get in touch if you think you can solve this particular conundrum.
In the meantime, we still await from the government the publication of the response to its summer 2023 consultation on medical reporting, as well as the statutory whiplash tariff review that should have been out months ago but was derailed by the election. Those working hard to support consumers making personal injury claims need reassurance that the wheels of the Ministry of Justice are still turning.
| Volume of Personal Injury Claims Registered with the Compensation Recovery Unit (CRU) | |||||||
| Liability Type | Clinical Negligence | Employer | Motor | Other | Public | Not Known | Total |
| 1 Jan 18- 30 Jun 18 | 8,978 | 42,151 | 326,699 | 5,036 | 47,950 | 1,209 | 432,023 |
| 1 Jul 18 - 30 Sep 18 | 4,483 | 22,375 | 159,417 | 1,804 | 21,290 | 616 | 209,985 |
| 1 Oct 18 - 31 Dec 18 | 3,944 | 23,517 | 181,261 | 1,848 | 23,247 | 737 | 234,554 |
| Total 2018 | 17,405 | 88,043 | 667,377 | 8,688 | 92,487 | 2,562 | 876,562 |
| 1 Jan 19 - 31 Mar 19 | 4,207 | 22,001 | 156,791 | 1,868 | 21,288 | 597 | 206,752 |
| 1 Apr 19 - 30 Jun 19 | 3,494 | 25,342 | 146,844 | 1,610 | 16,244 | 328 | 193,862 |
| 1 Jul 19 - 30 Sep 19 | 3,908 | 23,491 | 169,217 | 1,995 | 20,101 | 430 | 219,142 |
| 1 Oct 19 - 31 Dec 19 | 4,324 | 16,162 | 181,131 | 1,927 | 19,622 | 504 | 223,670 |
| Total 2019 | 15,933 | 86,996 | 653,983 | 7,400 | 77,255 | 1,859 | 843,426 |
| 1 Jan 20 - 31 Mar 20 | 4,119 | 14,032 | 155,860 | 1,554 | 16,620 | 393 | 192,578 |
| 1 Apr 20 - 30 Jun 20 | 2,217 | 10,531 | 94,973 | 1,076 | 11,778 | 351 | 120,926 |
| 1 Jul 20 - 30 Sep 20 | 2,503 | 10,774 | 104,782 | 1,124 | 12,358 | 298 | 131,839 |
| 1 Oct 20 - 31 Dec 20 | 3,827 | 12,734 | 139,758 | 1,413 | 14,606 | 398 | 172,736 |
| Total 2020 | 12,666 | 48,071 | 495,373 | 5,167 | 55,362 | 1,440 | 618,079 |
| 1 Jan 21 - 31 Mar 21 | 5,938 | 11,648 | 107,463 | 964 | 12,544 | 301 | 138,858 |
| 1 Apr 21 - 30 Jun 21 | 3,938 | 9,866 | 101,679 | 1,180 | 10,834 | 206 | 127,703 |
| 1 Jul 21 - 30 Sep 21 | 3,805 | 11,222 | 90,135 | 1,129 | 14,064 | 249 | 120,604 |
| 1 Oct 21 - 31 Dec 21 | 3,744 | 11,748 | 98,774 | 1,196 | 15,084 | 109 | 130,655 |
| Total 2021 | 17,425 | 44,484 | 398,051 | 4,469 | 52,526 | 865 | 517,820 |
| 1 Jan 22 - 31 Mar 22 | 4,062 | 10,933 | 97,099 | 1,093 | 12,742 | 115 | 126,044 |
| 1 Apr 22 - 30 Jun 22 | 3,730 | 11,594 | 93,113 | 1,031 | 12,785 | 143 | 122,396 |
| 1 Jul 18- 30 Sep 22 | 3,593 | 11,168 | 96,176 | 1,221 | 14,140 | 68 | 126,366 |
| 1 Oct 22 - 31 Dec 22 | 3,311 | 9,651 | 84,257 | 922 | 11,943 | 79 | 110,163 |
| Total 2022 | 14,696 | 43,346 | 370,645 | 4,267 | 51,610 | 405 | 484,969 |
| 1 Jan 23 - 31 Mar 23 | 3,809 | 11,315 | 93,989 | 1,569 | 14,535 | 188 | 125,405 |
| 1 Apr 23 - 30 Jun 23 | 3,406 | 10,621 | 89,361 | 1,578 | 13,683 | 176 | 118,825 |
| 1 Jul 23 - 30 Sep 23 | 4,374 | 10,926 | 85,830 | 1,900 | 14,545 | 157 | 117,732 |
| 1 Oct 23 - 31 Dec 23 | 3,329 | 11,434 | 83,050 | 2,105 | 14,609 | 213 | 114,740 |
Total 2023 | 14,918 | 44,296 | 352,230 | 7,152 | 57,372 | 734 | 476,702 | |
| 1 Jan 24 - 31 Mar 24 | 4,730 | 11,566 | 90,565 | 2,716 | 16,096 | 250 | 125,923 |
| 1 Apr 24 - 30 Jun 24 | 3,176 | 12,001 | 77,785 | 2,210 | 13,806 | 168 | 109,146 |
| 1 Jul 24 - 30 Sep 24 | 3,923 | 11,280 | 76,678 | 2,524 | 18,179 | 265 | 112,849 |
| 1 Oct 24 - 31 Dec 24 | |||||||
Total 2024 | ||||||||