The June 2023 data release from both portals revealed 31,048 claims were submitted last month, and while this is only 0.5% down on the same month the previous year, it is the continuation of a trend that spans the last few months.
Indeed, June marks the fifth consecutive month in which claims volumes have fallen, peaking at a drop of 14.4% in April 2023 when 25,369 claims were submitted.
This means April had the lowest monthly volume of claims since the OIC portal was first introduced, and while claims volumes were higher in both May and June, overall volumes are still lower than 12 months ago.
Damages paid out from the MoJ portal have also been on the decline, with payments averaging £3,850 in June 2023, down 10.7% on the previous year.
But MoJ claims only account for 23% of claims notifications received over the last 12 months, with the majority of claims passing through the OIC portal.
And the average damages paid out through OIC claims have continued to rise.
The costliest damages are paid out for unrepresented non-tariff injury claims, with the average settlement figure for June 2023 standing at £971 – this is up from £924 a year earlier.
Meanwhile, the tariff amount for unrepresented claims rose by 7.5% to £730, and the tariff uplift stayed steady at £156.
For represented claims, the average payout for non-tariff injury claims stood at £932 (June 2022: £896) while the tariff amount averaged £723 (June 2022: £671).
The tariff uplift for represented claims, however, fell by 14% to £197.
