Disputes between solicitors and insurers over alleged abuses of the new road traffic accident (RTA) claims portal are to be dealt with by a special ‘behaviour committee’.

The RTA Portal Company, a collaboration of representatives from the insurance and legal industries that oversee the portal’s operation, last week launched a three-month pilot of the new committee to help mediate disputes. If the pilot is successful, the committee will become permanent.

The RTA personal injury claims process, intended to speed up and reduce the cost of claims valued between £1,000 and £10,000, was introduced at the behest of the Ministry of Justice last April. The portal was set up to handle an estimated 500,000 claims a year.

Kevin Westall, head of civil justice policy, procedure and customer intelligence at the MoJ, told the Gazette that the ministry is content with the operation of the process, based on the latest data. He said that only serious complaints about misuse of the portal would force the MoJ to intervene, but none have yet arisen.

The portal company said: ‘From time to time, issues may arise between compensators and claimant representatives, such as inappropriate use of Article 75 [where insurers can choose to investigate claims under the terms of the uninsured drivers agreement]; claims submitted without retainers; inappropriate use of interim settlement packs; and extensions of time without prior agreement… The objective of the Behaviour Committee is to provide general guidance on appropriate behaviour expected by users of the portal.’

Parties can submit behaviour report forms from the members’ area of the RTA Portal Company website.