Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what plans he has to improve access to justice for road crash victims and their families.

In relation to a civil claim for personal injury, Official Injury Claim (OIC), an accessible self-service, online service, was launched in May 2021 in partnership with the Motor Insurers Bureau. This service enables those who suffer injury as a result of a road traffic accident to claim up to £5000 in damages, with or without the need for legal representation.

The service and its accompanying guidance have been carefully designed with the claimant firmly at their heart. A dedicated telephone customer support centre is also available, with trained assistants to guide users through any questions or issues they may have about the process of completing a claim. Since May 2021, around 240,000 claims have been made on the OIC service.

For claims above £5000 the existing Claims Portal should be used. Information about these reforms and the OIC service can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/whiplash-reform-programme-information-and-faq.