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The good, the bad and the ugly: Justin Jacobs on the role of insurance companies in the personal injury compensation system

This episode of The Law Report focuses the role of insurance companies in the personal injury compensation system.

This podcast is a free demonstration only, there is no accredited CPD for listening



In 2004, the Better Regulation Task Force published Better Routes to Redress, a report on the personal injury (PI) compensation system. This concluded that, while the UK was not, in fact, in the grip of a “compensation culture”, there was significant scope for reforming a system widely seen as expensive and inefficient.

The government announced it would look at how the system could be reformed and, as a first step, regulated claims management companies through the 2006 Compensation Act. It then set about consulting on how the compensation process itself could be reformed.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) kick-started the debate with the publication of Care and Compensation in December 2005. This set out proposals for reducing the time taken to settle the average PI claim from three years to six months, cutting legal costs and improving care for ill and injured people. In July 2006, the ABI also published research suggesting that legal representation did not necessarily lead to higher or faster compensation.

This interview with Justin Jacobs of the ABI was recorded before the government published its own consultation Case track limits and claims process for personal injury claims in April 2007.

The information in this podcast represented the legal position when it was recorded on 03/04/2007

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Aims and Outcomes

This podcast discusses the ABI’s views on the current personal injury compensation system and how it could be reformed. It will be of interest to anyone involved in personal injury.

The interviewer for this podcast is Fraser Whitehead. The questions are set by Louise Restell.

Learning outcomes

After listening to the interview, you will understand:

  • The ABI’s proposals for reforming the compensation system
  • Their views on how and when claimants should be able to get legal advice
  • The ABI’s views on improving access to rehabilitation
  • How they think the costs of the system could be reduced
  • How the ABI sees its relationship with claimants
  • The ABI’s views on Legal Expenses Insurance
  • The ABI’s views on the Legal Services Bill
Justin Jacobs
Lord Whitty

Justin is the Assistant Director, Motor and Risk Pricing at the ABI. He leads the ABI's work to reform the personal injury compensation system, including publishing Care and Compensation in December 2005 to propose radical reforms to speed up the claims process, reduce costs and promote rehabilitation. Justin has also led the ABI's campaign to tackle uninsured driving and in July 2005 published an interim report on Young drivers: road safety and the cost of motoring, identifying that young drivers remain a blot on the government's road safety record and calling for debate on how best to improve their safety record. Before joining the ABI in August 2004, Justin worked for HM Treasury.