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The Competition Commission slams repairs NEWS ➔


08


T09he Government begins the process of transferring CMC complaint handling to the LeO, opening up the possibility of CMCs having to pay compensation to dissatisfied consumers. The change, planned for later in 2014, will also give the Claims Management Regulation (CMR) unit the power to fine CMCs which use data sourced through unsolicited calls and texts, or who provide a poor quality service.


Meanwhile, eLawyers, the law firm network created by Paul Roberts, scales back its operations to only deal with PI cases in the north-west. Originally expected to be a national web of firms dealing in different aspects of the law, its founder, who also set up the law firm Porters, admits that he has had to go back to the drawing board after a lack of interest.


P 10annone warns more than 100 of its staff that they may lose their jobs, just two weeks after agreeing to a merger with Slater & Gordon. The Australian firm has indicated that it would take on 400 staff from Pannone as part of the merger deal, and that 50 staff would then work within Pannone Corporate, the new firm being created to take on Pannone's current commercial workload, leaving 137 jobs under possible threat.


L 16ord McNally, in one of his last acts as Justice Minister before being replaced by Simon Hughes and becoming the new chair of the Youth Justice Board, admits that there are still no concrete plans to implement The Third Party (Rights Against Insurers) Act.


T17he Competition Commission tells the post- accident repair industry that its standards have to improve in its preliminary report on the motor insurance market. The report, which also says that premiums for motorists remain far too high, says that the complex


The Care Quality Commission (CQC) reports a mixed picture of care among the first eight hospital trusts that is has investigated as part of its acute hospital inspection programme. Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, says that he has been encouraged by the investigation to date as good examples of care had been found even in hospitals where the overall findings have not been positive.


L 23eeds firm Morrish Solicitors becomes the first firm to convert to ABS status with the help of a trade union. The firm, which carries out personal injury work for union members in a variety of industries, has collaborated with the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA) to establish the world's first union-based ABS. The TSSA represents 30,000 administrative, managerial, professional and technical workers in the railway, London Underground, the travel trade, ports and ferries.


chain for the settlement of non-fault claims was still increasing the cost of both replacement cars and repairs.


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January 2014 T06


he Legal Ombudsman queries whether the 'no win no fee' catchline used by many PI firms should be banned. The Ombudsman says that it has fined firms up to almost £1m in the space of a year over conditional fee agreements (CFAs) and the 'very poor service' surrounding them.


See page 14 for more details. T 07


he Government finalises plans to implement a scheme to compensate mesothelioma victims who cannot trace a liable employer's insurer. In its current planned form, the scheme will be funded by a levy on current employer’s liability insurance providers and will see victims of the incurable disease receive 75% of the compensation they would have been entitled to, had their claim ended up in court. It is hoped that the scheme will be operational from July 2014 and open to anyone diagnosed with mesothelioma after 25 July 2012. See page 10 for more details


Claims Magazine/Issue11/ 07


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