Discount rate consultation – insurers call for change in process

The Ministry of Justice consultation on the personal injury discount rate, and how courts determine lump sum compensation payments for personal injury claims, has attracted considerable comment. This is not surprising considering the response of the insurance industry to the change announced in February by the Lord Chancellor that the rate would reduce from 2.5 per cent to minus 0.75 per cent, and the defence of the move by personal injury law firms.