enforcememnt and the contribution act

• The Civil Liability (Contribution) Act 1978 allows employers (or their insurers) to recover compensation from the employee who committed the tort.
• But this is mostly ineffective in practice:

  • Employees may be on low wages, so recovering large sums is unrealistic
  • They might be dismissed or even in prison, making it impossible to enforce.
  • This means that in reality, employers bear the cost, and wrongdoers rarely face financial consequences.
• Rogue employees might even act negligently or criminally knowing they’re unlikely to be sued or penalised financially.