'No-win, no-fee' changes announced by Ken Clarke

Changes to "no win, no fee" cases in England and Wales have been announced by Justice Secretary Ken Clarke.

He told the Commons that lawyers would no longer be able to claim "success fees" from the losing side, and should instead receive a share of the damages. The government says it hopes the changes will act as a disincentive to anyone bringing "spurious cases".

But shadow justice secretary Sadique Khan warned they "could restrict access to justice" for poorer claimants. The proposals follow a review carried out by Lord Justice Jackson in 2010 at the request of the previous government.

The judge found huge rises in civil litigation costs in England and Wales in recent years and said reforms could save people millions.

According to the BBC's legal correspondent, Clive Coleman, critics say the scheme can encourage unscrupulous lawyers to take frivolous accusations to court. Mr Clarke told the Commons that he wanted to restore "proportion and confidence" in the justice system.

"We plan to end the recoverability of success fees and insurance premiums, which drive legal costs, award claimants a 10% uplift in general damages where they have suffered loss, and then ensure that they take an interest in controlling the bills being run up on their behalf by expecting them to pay their own lawyer's success fee," he said. The proportion of any damages that can be taken by lawyers will be capped at 25%.

The justice secretary said he believed "no win, no fee" was one of the reasons for recent increases in the cost of car insurance, and he hoped the planned changes would help drive premiums down.

For the full story from the BBC click here...

source: BBC

EU wants no petrol or diesel cars in cities by 2050

There should be no petrol or diesel cars in city centres by 2050, the European Commission has proposed.

Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas also set out plans to shift half of "middle distance journeys" from road to rail, and to cut shipping emissions by 40%. He said: "Freedom to travel is a basic right for our citizens. Curbing mobility is not an option. Nor is business is usual."

The proposal would cut carbon emissions by 60% and reduce dependence on oil.

source: BBC

How are parking tickets overturned?

Most people who get a parking ticket seethe with anger, pay up and get on with life. But thousands of motorists now become amateur sleuths, chronicling confusing "signs and lines" in a battle against the authorities, writes Neil Bennett for the BBC.

Some people might bracket parking tickets with death and taxes as one of life's inevitabilities. But what if you parked on double yellows long worn away or missed a sign covered with ivy, or failed to spot the notice 100 yards away suspending your usual parking spot?

Thousands of motorists every year challenge councils over tickets and when those appeals are refused they can end up at the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, the independent body which covers 250 local councils in England and Wales. It is based in Manchester but arranges personal hearings around the country.

A startling 60% of appeals are successful, with many uncontested by councils. But a day spent at the tribunal suggests that it is worthwhile to get out a digital camera and gather evidence the next time you get an unfair ticket.

For the full story from the BBC click here...

source: BBC

Government's Response to the North reports on drink and drug driving

This is a link to the Government's response to the independent report on drink and drug driving in Great Britain commissioned by the previous Government from Sir Peter North in December 2009.

The response confirmed their strategy is to focus resources and any legislative changes on measures which will have the most impact in reducing dangerous behaviours. There are therefore two main priorities to continue the successful abatement of drink-driving and achieve similar success against drug-driving:

• to give the police effective tools to identify and proceed against drug-drivers;
• to streamline the enforcement process for drink and drug driving to ensure the most efficient use of police and other enforcement resources.

For the full response on the DfT website click here...

source: DfT

Vauxhall plant in Luton secured by Vivaro decision

The future of the Vauxhall plant in Luton has been secured after a decision was made to build the new Vivaro van at the UK site.

It had been feared that the site would close in the next few years. The union said the decision, which will safeguard 1,100 jobs, was "fantastic" news.

Owner Vauxhall, the UK arm of General Motors, said the site would continue to play an "important role" in its manufacturing network. An existing contract between Vauxhall and French counterpart Renault to use the site had been due to run out in 2013.

The decision to continue production at Luton comes after the two car companies agreed last September to extend their collaboration on light commercial vehicle manufacturing, which first began in 1996.

Meanwhile, production of Renault's new Trafic van - also a product of the two firms' partnership - as well as the high-roof Vivaro will be at Renault's Sandouille plant in Normandy.

For the full story from the BBC click here...

source: BBC

Osborne's Budget: Vehicle tax

During the 2011 Budget statement, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, announced some changes to the rates of vehicle tax.

The new rates, which apply to tax discs taken out from 1 April 2011, are listed on the Directgov website, click here to link...

source: Directgov

Osborne's Budget: Fuel duty

Motoring costs should fall for families and businesses as a result of fuel duty changes announced in the Budget.

Chancellor George Osborne announced a 1p per litre cut in fuel duty in response to a recent surge in global oil prices, effective from 1800GMT. He also said he would cancel a fuel duty escalator that would have pushed fuel costs higher.

An inflation-linked rise in the fuel duty planned for next week was delayed until next year.

"It's about doing what we can to help with the high cost of living and the high cost of oil," the chancellor said.

"The fuel duty escalator, that adds an extra penny on top of inflation every year, will be cancelled," he said, "not just for this year, or next year, but for the rest of this Parliament".

Under the old system the fuel duty would have risen by the rate of inflation, plus 1p per litre.

Instead, the fuel duty will fall by 1p per litre.

"We will delay the inflation rise in duty planned for next week until next year - and also delay the April 2012 inflation rise until the following summer."

The cut will be financed by taxing the oil industry, Mr Osborne said.

For the full story click here...

source: BBC

Lower drink-drive limit rejected

The government has rejected lowering the legal drink-drive limit by nearly half, as recommended in a Whitehall-commissioned report. Sir Peter North said the limit should be reduced from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg, saying this would save hundreds of lives each year.

The transport secretary Philip Hammond says improving enforcement rather than lowering the limit was likely to have more impact . But he has approved several measures recommended to deal with drug-driving.

This includes improved detection equipment and changes to streamline enforcement of both drink and drug driving.

The government will also consider whether a new specific drug-driving offence - alongside the existing one - is needed, to stop police from having to prove impairment on a case-by-case basis where a specified drug has been detected.

Sir Peter, a leading academic and legal expert, had made a total of 51 recommendations in his report. These included making it easier for police to identify and prosecute drug-drivers by allowing nurses, as well as doctors, to authorise blood tests of suspects.

Based on new research by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), Sir Peter said that as many as 168 lives - about 7% of UK road deaths - could be saved by a reduced drink-drive limit in the first year. This could rise to as many as 303 lives by the sixth year, he said.

For the full story click here...

source: BBC

UK car production up 15% in February, says SMMT

UK car production rose 15.1% in February from a year ago, as export-led growth continued. There was also a 10.2% rise in engine output, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive, said there had been a 27% increase in exports, which "highlights the strength and competitiveness of UK products". He warned that next week's Budget must support the industry, not damage it.

The Budget "will be crucial in creating the conditions for further investment in skills, R&D and capital equipment, all essential for growth and maintaining global competitiveness," he said.

February's rise in car output means production over the first two months of the year is now up 12% on 2010. The SMMT said commercial vehicle production was down 3% in February, but for the first two months of 2011 was up 2.6%.

For the full story click here...

source: BBC

Legal & General predicts good growth in the UK

The head of insurance giant Legal & General has predicted good growth in the UK as more people take control of their own financial affairs. Tim Breedon said the firm "will be a growing force as the welfare state retrenches" and people look for insurance and savings provisions.

L&G unveiled annual pre-tax profits of £1.09bn, up from £1.07bn, on worldwide sales up 28% to £1.8bn. L&G also beat its £600m cash generation target by making £728m.

The company's savings division was a key driver, with operating profit up 130% to £115m and net cash generation up 134% to £68m.

For the full story from the BBC click here...

source: BBC

Japan's global firms strive for 'business as usual'

The battering stock markets have received in the wake of Japan's earthquake is another vivid demonstration of how globalised the world now is. Companies and banks with bases in the UK, but with employees and even headquarters in Japan, are monitoring the situation in Tokyo and assessing how best to proceed.

While many organisations say they continue to watch the situation, none BBC News spoke to would admit to considering moving personnel out of Japan at this point - whether they're Japanese, from the UK or anywhere else. The emphasis is on preserving business continuity and, in the case of the big corporations actually aiding the relief efforts with massive donations of cash and trucks full of supplies.

Potentially the most vulnerable industry is the motor manufacturing sector, with companies building cars in Britain and the EU requiring parts from all over the world - and Japan in particular.

Toyota suspended production for three days in Japan itself while it checked on the safety of employees and their family members, as did other car-makers. That could result in a minor knock-on effect on parts for its models in the UK, though that would not be felt instantly because the components take six weeks to arrive here by sea.

Nevertheless, workers at Toyota's two plants in Burnaston and Deeside have been told they will get an extra Saturday off - 26 March - while the supply catches up. Other plants in the EU are also due to suspend operations at weekends.

For the full story from the BBC click here...

source: BBC

Transport Select Committee report on motor insurance misses the point says the ABI

Responding to the publication today (11 March) of the House of Commons Transport Committee report into the cost of motor insurance, Nick Starling, Director of General Insurance and Heath at the ABI, said:

“This report is a missed opportunity. The Committee took a great deal of evidence, and has chosen to ignore much of it.

The Committee has failed to recognise that the main cause of the recent increases in motor insurance premiums is ever- increasing personal injury claims and spiralling legal costs. These are often driven by claims management firms. The Committee should have called on the Government to implement in full the recommendations of Lord Justice Jackson’s report into tackling the compensation culture. This will not only control excessive legal costs, but will speed up the payment of compensation to genuine claimants. Until this happens the cost of motor insurance will continue to rise."

“Legal costs alone now add an extra £40 a year to the average motor premium, and motorists should not have to foot the bill for our cost-ridden compensation system.

“The Committee is also wrong to say that referral fees should be more transparent. They are a symptom of a dysfunctional compensation system, not the cause of it. This is why the industry wants to go further than the Committee recommends and ban them altogether.”

On the Committee’s comments on tackling insurance fraud and young driver road casualties, Nick Starling commented:

“Insurers are also working hard to combat insurance fraud, including funding the Insurance Fraud Bureau, which works closely with the police in investigating organised motor insurance frauds.

“What the Committee has got right is to call for more action to reduce the appalling number of accident casualties among young drivers. The Government must act now to fix our failing driver training regime, through measures such as introducing a minimum learning period.”

For the full article on the Association of British Insurers website click here...

source: ABI

DfT says 'lifts don't count as private hire'

The Department for Transport (DfT) has published guidance on what constitutes a private hire vehicle (PHV). It confirms that "most informal courtesy lifts offered by, for example, rental car companies or garages would not fall within the PHV licensing regime."

The guidance follows a review of legislation after the BVRLA highlighted the concerns of rental companies threatened with legal action by local authorities on the grounds that their vehicles had to be licensed to pick up or drop off customers.

"We estimate that compliance with private hire regulations would have cost members £3m a year and restricted the level of service rental firms could have offered to their customers," said Jay Parmar, head of legal services at the BVRLA. "We welcome the extra clarification."

The DfT's guidance note has been sent to interested stakeholders for comment by 25 March 2011 and will then be subject to ministerial approval before being published. Copies are available from BVRLA legal services executive Amanda Brandon.

Contact: Amanda Brandon, e: amanda@bvrla.co.uk t: 01494 545701

To visit the BVRLA website and to become a member click here...

source: BVRLA

UK 'over-reliant' on GPS signals, engineers warn

The UK may have become dangerously over-reliant on satellite-navigation signals, according to a report from the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Use of space-borne positioning and timing data is now widespread, in everything from freight movement to synchronisation of computer networks. The academy fears that too many applications have little or no back-up were these signals to go down. Receivers need to be capable of using a variety of data sources, it says.

Dr Martyn Thomas, who chaired the group that wrote the report, told BBC News:

"We're not saying that the sky is about to fall in; we're not saying there's a calamity around the corner. What we're saying is that there is a growing interdependence between systems that people think are backing each other up. And it might well be that if a number these systems fail simultaneously, it will cause commercial damage or just conceivably loss of life. This is wholly avoidable."

For the full story from the BBC click here...

source: BBC

Spain speed limit cut over high oil prices

Spanish commuters have had to ease off the accelerator this morning on their drive to work, confronted with a new speed limit of 110km/h (68mph) on main roads.

Throughout Sunday and into the night, teams worked across the country to prepare for Monday's change - covering the old 120km/h (75mph) limit with stickers on 6,000 road signs.

The slowdown is intended to save energy in response to the surge in oil prices sparked by the unrest in Libya and elsewhere in the Arab world.

Spain is heavily dependent on imported fuel and 13% of its oil usually comes from Libya.

For the full story from the BBC click here...

source: BBC

Advisory fuel rates rise

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has announced new advisory rates for drivers claiming reimbursement for fuel expenses incurred while driving on business.

The rates apply to journeys undertaken by employees on or after 1 March 2011. Employers are not obliged to reimburse their employees at these rates, which indicate the maximum tax-free level.

To visit the HMRC website click here...

To visit the BVRLA website click here...

source: BVRLA

Insurance and pension costs hit by ECJ gender ruling

Insurers cannot charge different premiums to men and women because of their gender, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has ruled. The decision means that women can no longer be charged lower car insurance premiums than men, and the cost of buying a pensions annuity will change.

The change will come into effect in December 2012, although customers could see premiums alter in the interim.

The court was ruling on a challenge by a Belgian consumer group Test-Achats. It had argued that a current exemption for insurers contradicted the wider European principle of gender equality.

"Taking the gender of the insured individual into account as a risk factor in insurance contracts constitutes discrimination," the ECJ said.

The requirement for unisex insurance premiums and benefits will start on 21 December 2012, giving national governments and the European insurance industry time to adjust.

For the full story from the BBC click here...

source: BBC