ABI: “APIL’s sniping from the side-lines distracts from the work of the insurance industry"
Tuesday, 23 October 2012 4:05 PM
Responding to a press release from the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers (APIL) on the tracing of historic employers’ liability insurance policies for workers affected by asbestos related illnesses, James Dalton, the ABI’s Assistant Director or Motor and Liability, said:
“APIL’s sniping from the side-lines distracts from the work the insurance industry is doing to improve the tracing of historic employers’ liability insurance policies. The industry voluntarily established the Employers’ Liability Tracing Office (ELTO) database in April 2011, which now has 149 insurance company members, and 8 million policies. Tracing rates have improved over 50% with 28,000 successful searches completed in the year to April 2012. Insurers have been calling for claimant representatives to join the ELTO Board to work with us to improve outcomes for asbestos victims. To date, APIL have not bothered to take up the offer.”
Background information
ELTO is one of the measures the industry is working on to speed up compensation for people dying of mesothelioma. In July we announced with the Government an industry-funded scheme costing over £300 million in the first ten years to help occupational mesothelioma claimants get support more quickly when they have not be able to trace an historic insurer.
Kelly Ostler-Coyle
Senior Media Relations Officer
Operations Directorate
Kelly.Ostler-coyle@abi.org.uk
T: 020 7216 7375
M: 07968 364 302 / BB: 07720 496872
Follow the ABI on Twitter @BritishInsurers
www.abi.org.uk
Association of British Insurers
51 Gresham Street
London
EC2V 7HQ
