Steven Baylis considers whether an Apologies Bill could lead to a decrease in the number of compensation claims
A proposed legislative change will allow organisations to apologise without having to admit liability for a mistake.
The second reading of the Apologies Bill is due to be heard on 5 March 2021. The legislation has been proposed by John Howell MP who believes it will help reduce the number of cases which result in court proceedings.
In what is approaching 30 years of working in the personal injury sector for accident victims, I have yet to encounter a case where the outcome has been influenced by an earlier apology from the other party.
However, there’s nothing to prevent a party referring to an open apology in their witness evidence, so in theory an apology could play a part in the judicial thinking we...
