Government to consider interim measures for personal injury awards reform
The Government is set to present judges and the Courts Service with interim proposals to bring down personal injury awards, the Irish Independent reports.
It comes amid concern that reform has been proceeding too slowly since the Personal Injuries Commission published its second and final report last September.
In the report, retired judge Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns recommended that the Government’s proposed Judicial Council be asked to compile “judicial guidelines for personal injury awards, similar to the system in Northern Ireland and in the UK”.
However, the Government is coming under pressure to develop interim measures because of the slow progress of the Judicial Council Bill.
Junior finance minister Michael D’Arcy has floated the idea of an interim, non-statutory Judicial Council.
A spokesperson for Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan said the Department was working on the matter with the Personal Injuries Assessment Board (PIAB).
The spokesperson added: “Options to achieve this will shortly be proposed for discussion with the judiciary and Courts Service as appropriate.”