New Industrial Disease Insurance Code

The Association of Personal Injury Lawyers is disappointed with the new code agreed between the Government, the Association of British Insurers and the Non-Marine Association at Lloyds to assist employees seeking to trace their former employers’ insurers so they may claim compensation for work-related illnesses. They are concerned that insurers who become signatories to the code will simply be asked to state from what date they will be able to search for employers’ insurers. Whilst a voluntary code is better than nothing, without strong sanctions APIL warn the code is not going to work, and almost certainly will not be efficient enough to deal with the predicted future increase in asbestos-related claims. The only sanction if their complaint is upheld is that the Government will report it to the review body with the recommendation that the case is mentioned in its next annual statement. Ouch!