National register of public liability insurance
The Department for Work and Pensions should work with the Association of British Insurers to introduce a national register of public liability insurance policies. The register should provide details of the relevant organisation, the name of the insurer, all relevant contact details, the period of cover, and the insurance limit. These requirements should apply to policies issued and renewed after the commencement of the register, and those against which a claim has already been made. The Financial Conduct Authority should make the necessary regulatory changes to compel insurers that provide public liability insurance to retain and publish details of all current policies.
- In May 2023, the government noted that discussions on the register were ongoing (Government Response to IICSA Final Report, HM Government, May 2023).
- No published national register of public liability insurance policies has been identified to March 2026.
How was this evidence gathered?
Response
Accepted
Response
AcceptedOn 5 November 2021, the Ministry of Justice stated that it had commenced discussions with the Association of British Insurers on a public liability register and would be exploring the feasibility of the proposed reform. On 4 May 2022, the Ministry of Justice stated that its work on this recommendation had paused due to other delivery priorities and the COVID-19 pandemic. On 2 December 2021, the Financial Conduct Authority stated that it had conducted a survey of public liability insurance firms, and had engaged with consumer organisations, including survivors' charities, to better understand the issues faced by victims and survivors in accessing insurance. On 25 April 2022, the Financial Conduct Authority stated that organisations representing survivors found it challenging to provide data and the responses that it had received were limited, and that it was considering its next steps. The Financial Conduct Authority also stated that it needed to align its work with that of the Association of British Insurers and Department for Work and Pensions (or other relevant government departments) to ensure its intervention is compatible with the public liability insurance register (if it is introduced).