Will Starling fly the nest too soon?

The news that the Association of British Insurers' hunt for a new director of general insurance has led to the door of the Health and Safety Executive is not overly surprising, given the HSE's role in a number of insurance-related matters.

He may not be the industry insider some wanted, but the chosen candidate, Nick Starling, looks like he has the calibre for the job, given his work in a wide number of areas including railway health and safety, industries with potential for catastrophic accidents, and civil contingency issues such as the firefighters' strike.

The only trouble is that he is on a two-year secondment with the option of a third - not a permanent member of staff. Whether the secondment approach was a last-minute compromise the ABI is not saying but with the hunt for someone to take on the post drifting into its fifth month, immediacy was becoming a big issue with General Insurance day on the horizon.

And there's the rub. With many industry issues subject to long-term campaigning, is there really enough time for any secondee to get their teeth into the issues before going back? Would a permanent director of general insurance have been better? Mr Starling might have his job cut out to convince the industry otherwise when he takes over in January.