http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,1271,-2251069,00.html
Britain pays out more compensation claims than the rest of Europe, running up a bill of around �10 billion a year, a report reveals. Payouts and legal costs are growing by 15% a year due to a "compensation culture", the report by the Actuarial Profession says. The UK is top of the payout list in the European Union, dealing with around 78,100 applications every year. France is the second highest with just 13,353 applications. Compensation claims now account for 1% of the nation's gross domestic product, the report reveals. The report blames the growth on the "no win, no fee" arrangements for lawyers and no central focus from the Government. Julian Lowe, chairman of the Actuaries' Working Party which produced the report, said: "One of our key findings is that over a third of the total cost of compensation goes in legal and administrative expenses. "This seems a fundamentally inefficient way of delivering compensation." The report - The Cost of Compensation Culture - looked at a whole range of cases from ordinary insurance claims to negligence involving the NHS, the police, local authorities and other public sector bodies. Mr Lowe added: "Some have argued that the shift towards an individual's right to compensation has forced big business and public authorities to behave more responsibly. "We believe that a more litigious society would be a bad thing because the costs, both financial and in terms of restricting activities, outweigh the benefits of providing better compensation to accident victims." xponent Also Maru rob ________________________________ You are a fluke of the universe. You have no right to be here. And whether you can hear it or not, the universe is laughing behind your back. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
