Insurance Law Reform: Law Commissions’ Proposals

On 21 March the English and Scottish Law Commissions published their third paper in a series of Issues Papers forming part of their wider review of insurance contract law. Although very much intended to promote discussion, the suggestions outlined within the papers so far have the potential to cause far-reaching and significant changes to the insurance industry if adopted in a planned bill at the end of the decade.

The third paper concerns intermediaries and their relationships with both insurers and insureds. It concentrates on three subjects:

• pre-contractual receipt of information by intermediaries;

• completion of proposal forms by intermediaries; and

• section 19 of the Marine Insurance Act 1906.