Fantastic Stationery Administration

Each week, as I read an insurance publication, my heart sinks deeper.

I have a small, but more than 100-year-old insurance brokerage in Cheshire and personally have 50 years of experience in the industry, of which, 25 have been in broking.

I now read that the Financial Services Authority is to demand a further £50m from insurers, in addition to £20m for the Ombudsman Scheme. The fees to brokers are said to be 'appropriate' but can only be designed to eliminate all but the larger insurance brokers, which are able to engage extra staff to interpret the rules (when finalised) and guide the staff, each hour of the day, along the right path.

One national newspaper recently reported that the FSA (which it suggested should be called the Fantastic Stationery Administration) has already issued some 23,000 pages of consultation and guidance in at least 200 documents; 55 of which run to more than 100 pages each and three are more that 1000 pages each.

I am told the FSA staff are all highly paid, much above insurance staff, but then that is ultimately paid by the policyholder, insurance companies and brokers.

Have no members of the government, and the MPs who are supposed to represent us, the guts to call a halt to this outrageously oppressive compliance by insurers and brokers. After all, the expense will not be of any value to clients/insured persons.

JH Green, Bramhall, Cheshire,