Personal Injuries (Compensation)

Miss McIntosh
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs when the maximum levels of compensation in personal injuries cases were last reviewed; and if she will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice
No maximum levels of compensation are prescribed for personal injury cases in general, and the amount of damages to be awarded in individual cases will depend upon the circumstances of that case. The level of general damages for pain and suffering was considered by the Court of Appeal in the case of Heil v. Rankin in 2000. The Judicial Studies Board publishes guidelines for the judiciary on the assessment of general damages based on decided cases following Heil v. Rankin. These do not cover any damages that may be awarded for other elements of the claim, such as loss of earnings.