GAD publishes 8th edition of the Ogden Tables
The Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) has published a new edition of the Ogden Tables.
The Government Actuary’s Department (GAD) has published a new edition of the Ogden Tables. These tables are designed to assist those concerned with calculating the lump sum compensation due in personal injury and fatal accident cases. This new publication is the 8th edition and GAD has played a central role in the production of these tables since they began in 1984.
Ogden Working Party
The preparation of the Ogden Tables is overseen by the Ogden Working Party. This is an inter-disciplinary working party of actuaries (including from GAD), lawyers, insurers, reinsurers, academics and forensic accountants among others. The tables and the working party are both named after Sir Michael Ogden QC who instigated the publication of the tables and chaired the original working party.
Purpose of tables
The Ogden Tables are used to derive multipliers, which are the figures by which annual losses are multiplied in order to calculate a capitalised lump sum. These take account of mortality and other risks and are calculated by reference to an annual discount rate. The Government Actuary has a statutory role in the process of setting the personal injury discount rates across the UK.
Updates
In this new edition, the explanatory notes have been completely rewritten and expanded to cover pension loss claims and periodical payment orders. The actuarial tables have been revised to use updated mortality assumptions and to cover a wider range of retirement ages. Some tables have also been provided in an alternative format for ease of use. These changes make the quantification of personal injury claims more accurate, efficient and user-friendly.
Government Actuary
Martin Clarke, the Government Actuary said in his foreword to the new tables:
“Assessing the appropriate amount of damages to pay in personal injury and fatal accident cases is a complex issue which often requires lawyers to work together with actuaries and other experts.
“The tables have become widely recognised as the appropriate basis on which to calculate the loss of future earning capacity. The methods set out in the notes offer a reasonable balance between accuracy and simplicity of application.
“GAD has been represented on the Ogden Working Party since its inception and has been commissioned to prepare the tables of multipliers and other factors in all the previous editions of the Ogden Tables. I’m very pleased that this involvement has continued, and that we are able to present this new edition of the tables.”