Law firms using the new claims protocol for employers’ and public liability claims will have to wait until the end of September to take advantage of the more efficient method of registering a case. Use of the portal was extended beyond road traffic accident claims to EL and PL claims worth up to £25,000 on 31 July.

Claimants and defendants have two ways to access the portal: either directly through a web browser, or by using software that connects users’ own internal system to the portal – known as Application to Application (A2A).

The portal operator has confirmed the A2A option will only be available for EL/PL claims from the end of September. A2A does not make the process any quicker, but it does allow firms to file claims more efficiently with shortcuts for registering cases. It is currently available for RTA claims.

The upgrade was restricted to two phases because of the short timescale given to extend the portal for a wider range of cases.
Firms seeking to process EL/PL claims before September can still do so via the web.

Meanwhile, the claims portal has offered MPs on the Commons transport select committee access to data on RTA claims. The committee said it wanted to assess the impact of the electronic portal since it was set up in 2010. Tim Wallis (pictured), chair of RTA Portal Co, said talks had already begun with the Ministry of Justice on this.