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Small Claims (Courts)

: I have two points. First, people do have access to personal injury lawyers: a wide range of firms do such work quite effectively and competently. People need only consult the Law Society directory or the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers if they want to see an expert. Secondly, and more importantly, the hon. Gentleman trotted out the myth of compensation culture yet again. If he had been here earlier he would have heard the comments of the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, whose Committee has denounced the compensation culture as a myth. All the statistics show that it is a myth and that the number of claims is going down, which goes completely against what the hon. Gentleman said. He has fallen for the tabloid press again.