Here are the most frequently asked questions customers ask us on their policy cover. You may well find the answer you require by clicking onto one of the links below.
Motor
Casualty
Property
Additional Covers
Computer Transit - Is cover for computer equipment restricted when in transit within the territorial limits of the policy?
Computer Suite Equipment is insured only whilst in situ at the Authority’s premises. Should transit cover be needed for any reason you should contact your underwriter with details. You may prefer, however, to ask a specialist remover to take on this risk.
All other computer equipment is insured whilst in transit within the UK, unless it is left in an unattended vehicle. It is particularly important that employees using laptop computers and PDAs are aware of this exclusion.
Equipment in Transit - What cover is provided for Council property under the Business Travel policy?
The property cover provided under both Business Travel and School Journey policies is for personal effects only. You may need temporary all risks or computer insurance if property belonging to the authority is to be taken with staff on either a school journey or other business travel. This is particularly relevant where the trip involves a journey outside the UK.
Events - Can ZM arrange abandonment insurance for special events?
Whilst ZM do not directly underwrite this type of policy other parts of the Zurich group are able to offer various contingency insurances. These include Cancellation and Abandonment of an event due to causes beyond your control, or agreed compensation as a result of excessive rainfall (pluvius) or other weather related risks adversely affecting an outdoor event.
Where cover is required as much notice as possible must be given. Underwriters may decline to quote for weather related risks if it is too close to the date of the event. Please contact your Underwriter for more information if cover is required.
Medical Conditions - Will ZM cover someone with a pre-existing medical condition under either a Business Travel or School Journey insurance?
Undisclosed pre-existing medical conditions are in practice not automatically covered under the policy as a result of the operation of two important clauses.
Against medical advice
We recommend that the traveller visit the doctor to make sure they are fit to travel. This is because the policy carries the "travelling against medical advice" exclusion which means if there is any doubt about a medical condition then the person insured should get specific written clearance from their GP at most 7 days before the trip starts.
Disclosure
In addition our covers carry the Special Condition that: "if at the time the arrangements for the insured journey are made any person insured is aware of any circumstances likely to result in the insured journey being delayed, cancelled or curtailed such circumstances must be referred to the Insurer". This could be referred to as the "disclosure condition".
Clearly this puts the onus on you (and the traveller) to disclose potential problems to us (not just relating to medical conditions, although these are the most likely). In practice we may be able to find a way of covering the person with a potentially problematic condition if we are given the opportunity to consider it. It may involve extra premium or certain restrictions, but not always outright refusal to cover. We may well be able to cover everything normally apart from claims arising directly from the condition itself. With serious conditions, patients have sometimes obtained a specialist cover just for that condition via the support organisation that involves itself in the condition and this is worth bearing in mind.
Therefore there is a sense in which claims arising from a pre-existing condition may end up not being covered, but this result does not arise from a specific exclusion per se. It is, rather, the possible outcome of the application of the two clauses described above (“Against medical advice” and “Disclosure”). This will be considered by our Claims staff where the customer has not approached us at the early stages of the arrangements with a view to discussing the pre-existing condition in advance of the journey.
PA Benefits - Do benefits paid under the Personal Accident part of our policy automatically go the injured person or their dependants?
No, the Authority is the beneficiary of the policy and as such all claims are paid to you. You can then use the money as you see fit. It is perfectly acceptable to forward any settlement direct to the injured party – and in doing so you might mitigate the potential for an Employers’ Liability claim in the future. Equally you could use the money to cover costs for employing temporary staff whilst the person was unable to carry out their usual employment, or recruit a new employee if they will be unable to return to work. However, under PA covers for Members there is a presumption that the benefit of the policy will go directly to the Council Member as a result of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 and reflected in Special Extension A of our policy wording
Travel - What information do ZM need in order to set up a one-off Business Travel policy?
Your underwriter will need the following details of the trip as early as possible, preferably at least three working days prior to departure:
- Names of the travellers
- Country or countries to be visited
- Date of departure and date of return to UK
- Details of any hazardous activities to be undertaken, if applicable.
- Confirmation that the trip is on the Business of the Authority.
Travellers - Who is insured under a Business Travel policy?
Our standard policy provides cover for Employees and Members when travelling on the business of the Authority. It will also cover any members of their family accompanying them. On request we can extend this to include other individuals where the travel is in conjunction with the authority’s activities and where a personal element of travel is appended to a business trip we may be able to include this in the cover as long as it is a relatively minor part of the overall trip’s duration and our agreement is obtained beforehand.
