Foil’s Tim Oliver gives his take on the road traffic accident portal

The road traffic accident (RTA) portal has been successful in simplifying the claims process and speeding up resolution. This must be good news for consumers.

However, extending it to employers’ liability (EL) and public liability claims will be a challenge for insurers to deliver, unless time limits are significantly longer than those in RTA. The abolition of referral fees and undoubtedly the reduction in recoverable fees by a claimant’s solicitor will benefit insurers and should hopefully remove cost out of the system, resulting in a decrease in premiums for consumers.

In five years’ time, I suspect there will be even more of a move towards strict liability in EL cases. The more routine cases going into a portal, if that’s what happens, will be settled quicker and more cost effectively than by litigating them. We will see an acceptance that certain types of claims will be settled early on in the process.

Tim Oliver is president of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers.

The 2025 Insurance Times Awards took place on the evening of Wednesday 3rd December in the iconic Great Room of London’s Grosvenor House.

Hosted by comedian and actor Tom Allen, 34 Gold, 23 Silver and 22 Bronze awards were handed out across an amazing 34 categories recognising brilliance and innovation right across the breadth of UK general insurance.
Many congratulations to all the worthy winners and as always, huge thanks to our sponsors for their support and our judges for their expertise.

Topics