MPs have called on the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to investigate the ‘growing number’ of unresolved cases in the Official Injury Claim (OIC) Service portal, which now stands at 349,000
The free online portal for road traffic accident claims for damages up to £5,000 was set up by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau in May 2021, as part of the government’s ‘whiplash’ reforms.
In a report published this week, however, the cross-party Justice Committee highlighted that ‘just over a quarter’ of 568,214 claims received had reached settlement, and had taken an average time of 251 days to do so. The committee predicted times for completion will increase as more complicated cases progress through the system.
Although the portal was designed for claimants to use without legal representation, 90% of claimants were legally represented. The committee said this reflected both the ‘complexity of the process for claimants attempting to navigate it by themselves and a lack of awareness of the new process’. One submission branded it a ‘policy failure’.
Despite government estimates the whiplash reforms would save motorists £35 on their car insurance, the majority of evidence received by the committee indicated premiums have continued to rise.
Sir Bob Neill, chair of the committee, said: ‘We recommend the MoJ investigates further the reasons for the growing number of unresolved cases and the deterioration in the timeliness of reaching settlement, and publishes its findings by the end of the year.
‘It should also include an analysis of timeliness in comparison to how equivalent cases previously progressed in the MoJ’s claims portal and of the apparent disparity in settlement times between represented and unrepresented claims.’
