Changes to the RTA Portal postponed

Published: 10/01/2013

The government has confirmed that the plans to extend the RTA Portal, originally scheduled for April this year, have been put on hold.

The portal, designed to allow for a swifter claims process due to the electronic exchange of all relevant claim information and related documentation, currently only handles road traffic accident (RTA) cases with a maximum value of £10,000.

The intended changes would see the maximum RTA case value increased to £25,000 but also extend its use to accident at work claims (employer liability) and slips, trips and falls (public liability).

The news of the postponement has been welcomed by the personal injury industry who had repeatedly voiced its concerns about the changes; a survey of personal industry solicitors, conducted by the Law Society, revealed with margins are already fairly small, these changes could see firms struggle to break even. Such a move could result in firms taking a cut of the claimant’s compensation.

There were also fears that applying these changes in April would not give personal injury solicitors enough time to adapt to the restructure, therefore jeopardising the quality of service the claimant may receive. The government’s own personal injury adviser had warned the reforms were happening too quickly.

A new implementation date has yet to be confirmed by the government, stating only that it would be announced later in the year.

Content correct at time of publication

Show All Articles