The Riot Compensation Act 2016 (c. 8) is an Act of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...

that repeals the

Riot (Damages) Act 1886 The Riot (Damages) Act 1886 ( 49 & 50 Vict. c. 38) was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that authorised the payment of compensation, from the police fund of the police area in question, to persons whose property had been injured ...

and modernizes the procedures for the payment of compensation to persons whose property has been injured, destroyed or

stolen Stolen may refer to: Films * ''Stolen'' (2009 Australian film), a 2009 Australian film * ''Stolen'' (2009 American film), a 2009 American film * ''Stolen: The Baby Kahu Story'' (2010 film), a film based on the real life kidnapping of baby Kahu ...

during a

riot A riot or mob violence is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The p ...

. It arose as a ballot bill sponsored by Mike Wood MP, following Government review and consultations on the subject, and it received

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support to expedite its passage.

Background

As a result of the

2011 England riots A series of riots took place between 6 and 11 August 2011 in cities and towns across England, which saw looting and arson, as well as mass deployment of police and the deaths of five people. The protests started in Tottenham Hale, London, follo ...

, significant problems were exposed concerning the administration of claims intended to be indemnified under the scheme established under the

. An independent review of the Act reported in 2013 that: * the language of the Act needed to be modernized; * compensation payable to insurers should be capped; * it should be extended to cover other types of property such as

motor vehicle A motor vehicle, also known as a motorized vehicle, automotive vehicle, automobile, or road vehicle, is a self-propelled land vehicle, commonly wheeled, that does not operate on railway track, rails (such as trains or trams), does not fly (such ...

s; * it should be based on the

replacement value The term replacement cost or replacement value refers to the amount that an entity would have to pay to replace an asset at the present time, according to its current worth. In the insurance industry, "replacement cost" or "replacement cost valu ...

of the property damaged, but not include any consequential loss; * the

should work with the insurance industry to improve claims administration; and * interim payments should be made available with respect to claims. Following a round of

public consultation Public consultation, public comment, or simply consultation, is a process by which members of the public are asked for input on public issues. This can occur in public meetings open to all (such as town hall meetings) in written form (such as in ...

s, the Government broadly accepted the reviewer's recommendations, including extending limited compensation for damage to motor vehicles whose policies do not have coverage for riot damages, and further specified that the statutory definition for a

should be drawn from the

Public Order Act 1986 The Public Order Act 1986 (c. 64) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that creates a number of public order offences. They replace similar common law offences and parts of the Public Order Act 1936. It implements recommendations

. The implementing bill was introduced on 24 June 2015, and received

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...

on 23 March 2016.

Significant changes

The Act introduces several key changes, including: * allowing insurers who have met claims from people or businesses to claim compensation from the local policing body: * allowing people and businesses, which are not insured, to claim compensation from the local policing body; * requiring that the amount of compensation must reflect only the loss directly resulting from the damage, destruction or theft of the property, and in particular, must not reflect any consequential loss resulting from it; * ending unlimited compensation, setting a £1m cap on each claim; and * allowing for claims on motor vehicles which are not insured for riot damage, but which are covered by an insurance policy at the time.

Coming into force

Authority for making necessary regulations by way of statutory instrument came into effect on

. The remainder of the Act took effect on 6 April 2017.

Notes

References

Sources

* * *

External links

* * {{cite web , url= https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/reform-of-the-riot-damages-act--2, title= Consultation outcome: Reform of the Riot (Damages) Act, author= , date= 12 March 2015, website= www.gov.uk, publisher=

United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 2016