A tool for travel businesses and consumers to email their local MP urging them to back Abta’s call to take action against fraudulent sickness claims is unveiled today.
The initiative comes as the association steps up its Stop Sickness Scams campaign.
People will be able to raise the issue with their MP by going to stopsicknessscams.com and emailing them directly using a pre-prepared template.
Two emails available, one for travel industry employees and business owners and one for members of the public.
Travel companies are being asked to encourage their staff, suppliers, customers, friends and family to use the tool and to contact their MP.
The emails will ask individual MPs to write to justice secretary, David Lidington asking him to close the claims loophole that encourages claims management companies (CMCs) to target the travel industry.
They explain how the situation has now reached a critical point, and unless tackled there will be serious consequences – holiday prices could increase, and choice for honest holidaymakers could be reduced as hoteliers refuse sell to the UK.
The campaign is calling for an amendment to court rules, to enable holiday sickness claims to be included in a fixed costs regime, which will reduce the incentive for CMCs to bring these cases.
This approach should be implemented quickly and would begin to reduce the problem of spurious or exaggerated sickness claims immediately, according to Abta
The association and leading members have been working with Ministry of Justice officials for several months, sharing claims data and asking for regulatory change to address the loophole that has left travel companies vulnerable to spurious sickness claims.
Abta hopes that with support from the industry and members of the public, individual MPs will support the campaign and join the industry in lobbying the Ministry of Justice.
Association chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “It is essential that the Ministry of Justice takes action to close the claims loophole and stop sickness scams.
“We have already seen the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson MP, speak out on this issue of fake claims and it is encouraging to see the new government commit to tightening the regulation of claims companies in the Queen’s Speech.
“The government’s proposals are a step in the right direction for addressing Britain’s compensation culture, however, they are not enough in themselves.
“More urgently for the travel industry, we need the government to address the exclusion of overseas claims from a fixed costs regime and I would strongly urge everyone in the industry to use this simple tool to contact their local MP and add their voice to the campaign.”
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