Sues you Sir!
|
|
Britons laughed in 1999 when they heard that the Mayor of Philadelphia was planning to sue tobacco companies for the cost of putting out fires caused by discarded cigarettes. “Only in America,” they thought. But not any more. Compensation culture has arrived in the UK. A Money Programme investigation reveals that it’s already a £14bn market and growing fast. Not only that, we’re all paying for it, in the shape of higher taxes and higher insurance premiums. Car insurance has risen on average by 40% over the past year and household insurance by 15%. In the public sector, where the bulk of claims are being filed because authorities are keener to settle than risk ending up in court, teachers fret about supervising school sports and doctors worry about being sued when operations go awry. Elsewhere, companies have to lay off workers when they are turned down for employers’ liability insurance. More : news.bbc.co.uk |