Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to Operation Yellowhammer HMG Reasonable worst case planning assumptions paragraph 16, what estimate he has made of the proportion of insurance payments from UK insurers into the EU which would be delayed in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal; and what estimate his Department has made of the potential length of any such delays.

As the question notes, HMG’s Operation Yellowhammer planning assumptions are not a prediction, but a reasonable worst-case scenario. The specifics on the length and proportion of affected policies would depend on each individual case – by definition, any delays would relate to exceptional cases which therefore cannot be estimated.

However, substantial progress has been made towards mitigating this risk. The Bank of England’s Financial Stability Report shows that UK insurers’ actions in restructuring their business have made good progress towards being able to service the majority of their £61 billion of EU liabilities after Brexit - £56 billion of this liability is expected to be addressed by 31 October. Temporary regimes announced by EU states are expected to further reduce the residual ‘at risk’ liabilities.

The FCA expects insurers to let customers know if there will be any changes to the way policies are serviced after the UK leaves the EU. Information on gov.uk makes it clear that customers concerned about the status of their insurance policy should contact their provider.