§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what are(a) the proposed duration of the Motor Insurers' Bureau uninsured drivers' agreement and (b) its termination provisions. [94409]
§ Mr. HillThere is no formal termination date in Agreement. Past agreements have continued until it was clear that there was a need to revise them. There are provisions for termination of the Agreement upon either party giving a year's notice to the other.
§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on what date the revised Motor Insurers' Bureau uninsured drivers' agreement was signed; and on what date it will come into effect. [94407]
§ Mr. HillThe new Agreement was signed on 13 August 1999 and it came into effect on 1 October 1999.
§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions since the signing of the Motor Insurers' Bureau uninsured drivers' agreement what(a) meetings have been held with (i) the insurance industry and (ii) organisations representing victims of road accidents and (b) what representations have been made by (i) and (ii); and if he will make a statement. [94408]
§ Mr. HillSince the new Agreement was signed, my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has met the Association of Personal Accident Solicitors and the Solicitors Indemnity Fund to discuss concerns they had expressed about the terms of the Agreement. I understand that the Motor Insurers' Bureau have also met Association of Personal Injury Lawyers and have arranged to meet the Motor Accident Solicitors Society. My Department stands ready to meet any of these representative organisations to discuss their concerns and, if it proves necessary, to amend the Agreement.
§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment of the problems of compliance with the revised Motor Insurers' Bureau uninsured drivers' agreement faced by accident victims or their representatives were made by his Department, prior to its signature; and if he will make a statement. [94406]
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§ Mr. HillRepresentations received over the last 10 years from applicants, their legal representatives and from solicitors' organisations all pointed to a lack of clarity about the 1998 Uninsured Drivers Agreement. In particular there were several complaints about the lack of clear procedures and the absence of defined time limits. These have been addressed in the new Agreement.
§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions prior to the signature of the revised Motor Insurers' Bureau uninsured motorists' agreement, what(a) meetings were held by his Department with (i) the Motor Insurers' Bureau, (ii) other representatives of the insurance industry, (iii) the Law Society and (iv) organisations representing road accident victims, (b) what representations were invited and received from the above and (c) what other consultation arrangements were made; and if he will make a statement. [94405]
§ Mr. HillRepresentations have been received over the 10 years since the last revision from many applicants, their legal representatives and from solicitors' organisations. Representations have also been received from the European Commission. All of these are taken into consideration in the review of the Agreements. Representations were not formally invited from any of these organisations. We have recently received correspondence from the Association of Personal Injury Lawyers, and my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State met them, in September, to discuss their concerns about the new Uninsured Drivers Agreement.