The Ministry of Justice has asked the Civil Justice Council (CJC) to consider the issue of industrial noise-induced hearing loss and the rising number of claims against employers.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) recently published new statistics showing that since 2012, more than 200,000 claims for noise-induced hearing loss have been raised against employers, with claimant lawyers receiving on average three times as much in legal fees as claimants do in compensation.

James Dalton, the ABI’s director of general insurance policy, said: “Today’s announcement by the Ministry of Justice is a positive development. The skyrocketing number and cost of industrial deafness claims is a significant issue that the insurance industry has highlighted for some time. The number of claims has gone up by 250% between 2010 and 2013 and for every £1 the claimant receives, their lawyer receives £3.”

The CJC is an advisory body responsible for overseeing and coordinating the modernisation of the civil justice system.