Justice secretary Robert Buckland QC MP has confirmed that the portal for whiplash claims is being delayed.
On 27 February, a written statement was made in parliament postponing the policy from 6 April 2020 to 1 August 2020.
Buckland said: “The government has decided that more time is necessary to make sure the whiplash reform programme is fully ready for implementation. We have always been clear that we need to do this right rather than hastily.”
The Ministry of Justice confirmed that a key element of the portal for helping litigants in person will be dropped. This would have involved offering a free alternative dispute resolution scheme as part of the online service. Instead, it will develop ‘bespoke processes’ to enable litigants to go to court to establish liability.
Another change is that the increase in the small claims track will not apply to children of protected parties.
