Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Written evidence submitted by the Association of British Insurers (ABI)

CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN COMMITTEE SPECIALIST AND ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH INSURERS

Email extract from EFRA Senior Committee Specialist, dated 24 October 2012 to ABI:

“One of the issues [the Committee] may wish to explore is whether insurance companies should be required to provide health data to bodies investigating inherited and other dog diseases.”

“Would the insurance companies as a matter of principle provide data on inherited or other diseases—is there a data protection issue, do companies have philosophical objections or commercial objections?”

Extract from Andrew Woolgar, Policy Assistant, ABI, email reply dated 25 October 2012:

“The ABI only collate industry data for pet insurance, on exposure, premiums and claims. This information may be provided to academics for research purposes. We are not aware of any of our members collecting information relating to inherited or other diseases. This information may be more readily available from the British Veterinary Association or Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.”

“If any of our members could provide this data, we would need to extrapolate the information to industry level in order to ensure there are no commercial objections. Depending on the original sample size, this would affect the reliability of the data. It is unlikely that insurers would refuse to provide available data, as long as it would be on an anonymous basis. I hope this helps to answer your question.”

October 2012