A LAW which provides for compensation to victims of rioting damage is to be updated in the wake of the 2011 riots.
A government spokesman said The Riot Damages Act will be "independently reviewed to ensure it protects the vulnerable and provides value for money."
The review will examine criteria determining when compensation is payable, including how it defines a riot and who should be liable.
The Rt Hon Damian Green, Minister for Policing and Criminal Justice, said last week: "The Riot Damages Act was written more than a century ago and so it is only right that we take action to ensure it is fit for purpose.
"The aftermath of the 2011 riots showed the need for improvements to speed up the payment of compensation to those who need it and weed out frivolous claims."
Former senior civil servant Neil Kinghan will lead the review, which is expected to be finished by September.
The government says nationally the "vast majority" of claims from the August 2011 riots have been decided.
However, The Advertiser revealed in March that politicians are aware of as many as 40 outstanding cases in Croydon.
The London Assembly has welcomed the review.
John Biggs AM, Chair of the London Assembly's Budget and Performance Committee, said the act was "crying out for reform."
He added: "Last year, following an in-depth investigation, we warned that the act was not meeting the needs of riot-hit traders and we are pleased that the Government is acting on our concerns.
"It is ridiculous that in the 21st Century we are stuck with a piece of legislation from 1886 that does not adequately define a riot or cover damage to cars and vans.
"The Government's new review must address these weaknesses and provide a significantly more efficient and streamlined act, that works in the modern world."
