Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017

Any amount properly paid by the Nominal Defendant in satisfaction of a claim made or judgment obtained under section 2.29, 2.30 or 2.32 and the amount of any costs and expenses properly incurred by it in relation to any such claim or judgment may be recovered by the Nominal Defendant as a debt—

from the person who, at the time of the occurrence out of which the claim arose or in respect of which the judgment was obtained, was the owner of the motor vehicle, or

where at the time of such occurrence some other person was driving the motor vehicle, from the owner and the driver jointly or from either of them severally.

However—

it is a sufficient defence in any proceedings under this section against the owner (whether severally or jointly with the driver) if the owner establishes to the satisfaction of the court that, at the time of the occurrence, some other person was driving the motor vehicle without the owner’s authority, and

it is a sufficient defence in any proceedings under this section against the driver of an uninsured motor vehicle (whether severally or jointly with the owner) if the driver establishes to the satisfaction of the court that, at the time of the occurrence, the driver was driving the motor vehicle with the authority of the owner or had reasonable grounds for believing and did in fact believe that the driver had such authority, and that the driver had reasonable grounds for believing and did in fact believe that the motor vehicle was an insured motor vehicle.

The Nominal Defendant is not entitled to recover any amount under this section from the owner or driver of a motor vehicle which, at the relevant time, was not required to be registered or was exempt from registration or, if required to be registered, was not required to be insured under this Act.