Lord Chancellor Delays Extended RTA Portal Decision

LONDON, January 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ –

The proposed RTA Portal extension has been delayed amid fears the plans had been
rushed through.

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State Chris Grayling is reported to have agreed that
an extension of the RTA (Road Traffic Accident) portal to include employers’ liability,
public liability and higher Road Accident Claims
[http://www.walkerprestons.co.uk/road-traffic ] will not materialise when previously
claimed. The extension was originally planned to come into effect as of April 2013 but has
been moved back indefinitely.

The original proposal which included extending the current RTA scheme to include
claims up to GBP25,000 has been challenged by the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers
(APIL) and the Motor Accident Solicitors Society (MASS) via a judicial review.

Both bodies supported the principle of increasing and extending the RTA portal but
believed that the changes were not comprehensively thought out enough. The president of
the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, Karl Tonks explained: “We have said from the
outset that we do not object in principle to the introduction of changes which speed up
and improve the civil justice system for the benefit of all parties,” said Karl. “Our
concern in this instance, however, is that proper consideration of key issues was being
sacrificed in favour of an impractical ambition to introduce extensions to the RTA portal
by next April.”

The pre-action protocols that were due to take place would only apply to accidents
from 1 April 2013 or disease claims [http://www.walkerprestons.co.uk/industrial-diseases ]
made after that date. It is believed that the technologies needed for the proposed changes
would not be completed and available by the intended date. Furthermore the Civil Procedure
Rule Committee has reportedly failed to approve the underlying protocols and rules.

Personal Injury Solicitors Walker Prestons [http://www.walkerprestons.co.uk ] echo the
sentiments of APIL. Partner, Anser Amin explained: “It is great to see that common sense
has finally prevailed and the plans to extend the Portal are not being rushed through
without proper consultation. Consideration can now be given, not only to the technologies
required to make the new system work, but also to the effect that the proposed changes
will have on the industry as a whole.

“We currently see a great number of cases dropping out of the portal, especially those
where the value of damages does not exceed GBP2000. Insurers applying this approach reduce
the amount of legal fees they are required to pay under the Portal. There are some cases
which exit the portal due to their complexity so that further investigations can be
carried out by the insurers. EL and PL cases by their very nature are complex and will no
doubt see a higher exit rate.”

Walker Prestons are continuing to monitor the situation and will issue a further
release as soon as any developments arise.

The Ministry of Justice is expected to comment further regarding if and when the
portal extensions will go ahead.

About The Company:

Walker Prestons are a team of solicitors specialising in accident claims. The skilled
personal injury solicitors help bring justice to those injured in accidents that were not
their fault.

        Contact:
        Ansar Amin
        +44-(0)1254-27-88-88
        info@walkerprestons.co.uk

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