CHO Meet with MOJ

CHO Chair Lucy Woods and CEO Peter Gomes held a regular update meeting with officials at the MoJ on 10 March. The discussions were constructive and helpful, and we used the opportunity to update officials on the current state of the sector including the challenges around rental rates as well as vehicle, parts and people shortages.

A couple of specific issues were raised that need noting. Part II of the whiplash consultation (which covers credit hire and rehabilitation) is written, printed and is now awaiting publication. Officials were unable to guarantee a date, because the publication date is a ministerial decision, but the expectation is that it will be sometime during the next six weeks and could be as soon as the end of this month. The CHO will alert members as soon as the details are published, and advise on next steps with regards to a response to Part II.

There was also an update from officials on the OIC (the new small injury claims portal) which was first launched on 31 May 2021. Normally speaking, data from the OIC is released every three months. We were expecting the next set of quarterly data in March, but this has slipped to April because MoJ wants the data to fit with the normal quarterly calendar. Again we will alert members when the latest data appears, likely to be early April.

If you have any questions or require further information, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.