Bill aims to encourage more to settle through Personal Injuries Assessment Board

The general scheme of a bill to encourage more claims to be settled through the Personal Injuries Assessment Board has been published.

Enterprise Minister Frances Fitzgerald said the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Amendment) Bill would strengthen the operational powers of the Board and ensure greater compliance with the Board process.

It will also provide for the Book of Quantum, an important benchmark for damages claims for practitioners, to be reviewed every three years.

Ms Fitzgerald (pictured) said: “This is another important step in our efforts to address the increasing cost of insurance. The cost of settling personal injury claims is recognised as being a major factor in contributing to those costs.

“The objective of this Bill is to further strengthen the low-cost claims settlement model which the Personal Injuries Assessment Board provides. By encouraging more claims to be settled at an earlier stage, we can take many costs out of the settlement process. These savings should ultimately benefit the consumer through lower insurance costs.”

Ms Fitzgerald said the Government’s working group on personal injury claims, which reported in January, had recommended “maximising the PIAB model so that more claims are settled through that process”.

She added: “It found the cost of personal injury claims is significantly cheaper through the PIAB model than through litigation.

“PIAB also facilitates objective assessments of damages in a far shorter timeframe than possible through litigation.

“This legislation will ensure more claims can be assessed or settled within the PIAB process.”