Bereavement Damages

When a person dies as the result of another person’s negligence, the Fatal Accidents (Northern Ireland) Order 1977 (“the 1977 Order”) allows a limited category of people to claim for a fixed sum of money known as a bereavement award or bereavement damages.

This consultation is only about the level of the fixed amount of the bereavement award.

The availability of bereavement awards in Northern Ireland under the 1977 Order is a matter for the Department of Finance and Personnel as it is responsible for the substantive law on damages. The Department of Justice is responsible for setting the amount of bereavement damages in Northern Ireland.  This has been fixed at £11,800 since 2008.

We welcome comments on this review and any issues raised by the consultation.

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