Claims Regulation - Ministry of Justice - Oct 09

[Amethyst]

Dear Sharon,

Please find below responses to your enquiries in the order raised:

1. The rules around exempt introducers are set out in the attached Guidance Note "Who Needs to be Authorised under the Compensation Act 2006" - see pages 6 and 7.

2. Details about the authorisation procedure are included in the latest CMR Annual Review - link to Review attached see page 14.

3. Complaints - some data on the number of complaints received is included in the Annual Review - see Chapter 4 page 23 onward. We receive complaints and allegations of malpractice against claims management businesses from a number of sources including the general public, consumer organisations and trade bodies such as the British Bankers Assoc. There is no set number of complaints that would trigger an automatic investigation - all complaints are looked into and enforcement action is targeted against persistent offenders and businesses that consistently refuse to comply with the rules despite notification of any breach of the rules.

4. Directing Complaints - MoJ produced the attached guidance on reporting misleading marketing and advertising with regard to UCCA claims in March. As I understand you are primarily interested in the financial services sector, this contains relevant details about where complaints should be directed and is applicable more widely than just UCCA claims. I also attach a Consumer Fact Sheet that contains some generic advice to consumers who may have a complaint about the services provided by a claims management business.

I hope you find this helpful but let me know if need more details or to discuss. If you intend to publish any of this material on the website I would be grateful for advance notice.

Ian - this is in response to Activity 62752.

Thanks

Mike Wrankmore
Claims Management Regulation
Ministry of Justice
4th Floor 102 Petty France
London SW1H 9AJ
Tel 0203 3343168