The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) said it was far too soon to consider the introduction of fixed fees for work place related accident claims.

The statement was made following the publication of the Department of Work and Pensions, (DWP) second report on the employers' liability system.

"Even low value claims for accidents in the workplace can be extremely complicated," said APIL president, David Marshall.

"APIL has been instrumental in introducing fixed fees to low value, straightforward traffic claims, which settle without the need for court proceedings, but to begin discussions about introducing such a scheme to a much more complex area of the law before the new scheme is reviewed in two years' time is dangerously premature."

Marshall said the APIL was fully committed to continuing to work with the government and insurers to find ways of reducing 'frictional costs' in EL claims, such as streamlining procedures and increasing the skills of insurers and lawyers.

He also welcomed the DWP's continued commitment to rehabilitation for injured employees.

He warned that the suggestion that workers with lower value claims could be dealt with directly by the insurer or employer without recourse to a lawyer except to check the fairness of a settlement at the end of the process could lead to an unlevel playing field for injured individuals who may not know their way around the system.

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