Damages Act 1996

[F12Periodical paymentsE+W+N.I.

[F2(A1)In cases where Regulation (EC) No. 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23rd October 2007 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations applies, this section needs to be read in the light of Article 30 of the Uniform Rules concerning the contract for the international carriage of passengers and luggage by rail (damages to be awarded as annuity on request), as set out in Annex I to that Regulation.]

(1)A court awarding damages for future pecuniary loss in respect of personal injury—

(a)may order that the damages are wholly or partly to take the form of periodical payments, and

(b)shall consider whether to make that order.

(2)A court awarding other damages in respect of personal injury may, if the parties consent, order that the damages are wholly or partly to take the form of periodical payments.

(3)A court may not make an order for periodical payments unless satisfied that the continuity of payment under the order is reasonably secure.

(4)For the purpose of subsection (3) the continuity of payment under an order is reasonably secure if—

(a)it is protected by a guarantee given under section 6 of or [F3Schedule 1] to this Act,

(b)it is protected by a scheme under section 213 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (compensation) (whether or not as modified by section 4 of this Act), or

(c)the source of payment is a government or health service body.

(5)An order for periodical payments may include provision—

(a)requiring the party responsible for the payments to use a method (selected or to be selected by him) under which the continuity of payment is reasonably secure by virtue of subsection (4);

(b)about how the payments are to be made, if not by a method under which the continuity of payment is reasonably secure by virtue of subsection (4);

(c)requiring the party responsible for the payments to take specified action to secure continuity of payment, where continuity is not reasonably secure by virtue of subsection (4);

(d)enabling a party to apply for a variation of provision included under paragraph (a), (b) or (c).

(6)Where a person has a right to receive payments under an order for periodical payments, or where an arrangement is entered into in satisfaction of an order which gives a person a right to receive periodical payments, that person’s right under the order or arrangement may not be assigned or charged without the approval of the court which made the order; and—

(a)a court shall not approve an assignment or charge unless satisfied that special circumstances make it necessary, and

(b)a purported assignment or charge, or agreement to assign or charge, is void unless approved by the court.

(7)Where an order is made for periodical payments, an alteration of the method by which the payments are made shall be treated as a breach of the order (whether or not the method was specified under subsection (5)(b)) unless—

(a)the court which made the order declares its satisfaction that the continuity of payment under the new method is reasonably secure,

(b)the new method is protected by a guarantee given under section 6 of or [F4Schedule 1] to this Act,

(c)the new method is protected by a scheme under section 213 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (compensation) (whether or not as modified by section 4 of this Act), or

(d)the source of payment under the new method is a government or health service body.

(8)An order for periodical payments shall be treated as providing for the amount of payments to vary by reference to the retail prices index (within the meaning of section 833(2) of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988) at such times, and in such a manner, as may be determined by or in accordance with Civil Procedure Rules.

(9)But an order for periodical payments may include provision—

(a)disapplying subsection (8), or

(b)modifying the effect of subsection (8).]

[F12Consent orders for periodical payments.S

[F2(A1)In cases where Regulation (EC) No. 1371/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23rd October 2007 on rail passengers’ rights and obligations applies, this section needs to be read in the light of Article 30 of the Uniform Rules concerning the contract for the international carriage of passengers and luggage by rail (damages to be awarded as annuity on request), as set out in Annex I to that Regulation.

(1)A court awarding damages in an action for personal injury may, with the consent of the parties, make an order under which the damages are wholly or partly to take the form of periodical payments.

(2)In this section “damages” includes an interim payment which the court, by virtue of rules of court in that behalf, orders the defendant to make to the plaintiff (or, in the application of this section to Scotland, the defender to make to the pursuer).

(3)This section is without prejudice to any powers exerciseable apart from this section.]]